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 § 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.
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) 1-3, 5, 8-11, 13, 14, and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Abotal, et al. (US Pre Grant Publication No. 2021/0352667).
Regarding claims 1 and 14, Abotl discloses a method for performing uplink transmission or downlink reception by a terminal in a wireless communication system, the method comprising and A terminal for performing uplink transmission or downlink reception in a wireless communication system, the terminal comprising: at least one transceiver; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor (paragraph 0014) is configured to:
Receiving/receive configuration information related to a bandwidth part (BWP) for at least one of the uplink transmission or the downlink reception from a base station; (The system of Abotl discloses that a UE may be configured with partly overlapping UL and DL bandwith parts (“BWP”) [fig. 5, element 504, paragraphs 0084-0085]. The UE may be configured by RRC with slot information and may use the information to, for example, determine to disregard/exclude some or all of the portion of the slot of the DL BWP that is overlapping with the UL BWP, based on an indication of a group of resource blocks/PRBs that are excluded from DL transmissions [paragraph 0109, 0111, 0112, 0116-0119, 0124 in particular 0119;]. In the case of the UL BWP, in overlapping portions with the DL BWP, the indication of a portion of the slot being unavailable for downlink communications also inversely indicates that a portion of the slot is available or unavailable for uplink use, as the indications are mutually exclusive [paragraph 0110]. Therefore in the case of an UL BWP in which only part of the overlapping portion with the DL BWP is indicated as “unavailable for DL transmissions” [i.e. assigned for exclusive UL BWP use][see paragraph 0119] the remaining portion not indicated as “unavailable for DL transmissions” [i.e. assigned for exclusive UL BWP use] is also indicated as “unavailable for UL transmissions” [i.e. is assigned for exclusive DL BWP use]. Therefore, Abotl discloses setting aside a group of PRBs in both a DL BWP and an UL BWP for use in the UL or DL transmission, respectively.)
Identifying/identify at least one physical resource block (PRB) based on the configuration information; and (As discussed, supra, the UE identifies “at least one PRB”/PRBs that are useable for UL transmission in the UL BWP and downlink transmission in the DL BWP by removing the excluded/specific PRB group that is allocated to the opposing uplink direction from the PRBs of the respective DL or UL BWP [paragraphs 0110, 0124])
Performing/perform the uplink transmission or the downlink reception based on the at least one PRB, wherein based on information related to a specific PRB group in the BWP, the at least one PRB is identified by excluding the specific PRB group from entire PRBs of the BWP. (paragraphs 0110, 0124, 0074, 0089 – see (a), supra).
Regarding claim 2, Abotl discloses based on the BWP being configured as a downlink BWP, the at least one PRB is for the downlink reception and the specific PRB group is for the uplink transmission. (see claim 1, supra, in the case the BWP is the DL BWP, the specific PRB group excluded/unavailable for DL transmission is note used for DL BWP reception and is therefore excluded from selection as the at least one PRB for downlink reception).
Regarding claim 3, Abotl discloses the information related to the specific PRB group is included in the configuration information. (The specific PRB group/PRBs unavailable for downlink transmission are indicated in an RRC message sent to the UE using a PRB start RB [0119 – start RB and length indicated].)
Regarding claim 5, Abotl discloses based on the information related to the specific PRB group being configured for another BWP, the specific PRB group is at least one PRB overlapped between the BWP and the another BWP. (Abotl discloses that the specific PRB group is an overlapped BWP with a different BWP identifier [claim 1, supra; for example, if the BWP is a DL BWP the specific PRB group/REs unavailable for transmission are reserved for another BWP, the UL BWP [paragraph 0111, 0112, 0116-0119, 0124].)
Regarding claim 8, Abotl discloses the information related to the specific PRB group is configured through separate signaling from the configuration information, and the separate signaling includes at least one of radio resource control (RRC) signaling (paragraph 0119 – RRC signals the specific PRB group/REs unavailable for transmission).
Regarding claim 9, Abotl discloses the information related to the specific PRB group indicates whether the specific PRB group is used for the uplink transmission or the downlink reception, and the information related to the specific PRB group is delivered through at least one of RRC signaling (paragraph 0119 – RRC signals the specific PRB group/REs unavailable for transmission because the are used exclusively for uplink transmission; note that, as discussed with respect to claim 1, supra, the RRC also signals a second PRB group used exclusively for downlink transmission/specific PRB group in the case of indicating that only a portion of the entire overlap between the DL and UL BWP is a part of the first PRB group/ REs unavailable for transmission/uplink exclusive group as the remaining second PRB group is used exclusively for downlink group and is a specific PRB group for the UL BWP.)
Regarding claim 10, Abotl discloses receiving information indicating a transmission time interval (TTI) for a full-duplex operation among at least one TTI from the base station, wherein the information related to the specific PRB group is applied in the TTI. (Abotl discloses that the configuration of full/half duplex is broken into multiple transmission time intervals/slots and the UE may receive a configuration of the slot format indicating resource elements/blocks as UL or DL etc. [see fig. 8, slots A-D, paragraphs 0091-0092, 0104, 0110, 0111].)
Regarding claim 11, Abotl discloses a center frequency for the uplink transmission or the downlink reception is configured as a center of the entire PRBs of the BWP. (figs. 7 and 8, it can be visibly seen that the center of the UL portions of slots B and C is at the center of both the UL and DL BWP).
Regarding claim 13, Abotl discloses the entire PRBs of the BWP are configured with multiple consecutive PRBs (paragraphs 0065, 0108-0109 – allocation is PRBs; fig. 7, allocation is consecutive across multiple PRBs in time and frequency).
Regarding claims 16, Abotl discloses a base station for performing uplink reception or downlink transmission in a wireless communication system, the base station comprising: at least one transceiver; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to (paragraphs 0180-0181) is configured to:
transmit configuration information related to a bandwidth part (BWP) for at least one of the uplink reception or the downlink transmission to a terminal; (The system of Abotl discloses that a UE may be configured by transmission from the base station with partly overlapping UL and DL bandwith parts (“BWP”) [fig. 5, element 504, paragraphs 0084-0085]. The UE may be configured by RRC with slot information and may use the information to, for example, determine to disregard/exclude some or all of the portion of the slot of the DL BWP that is overlapping with the UL BWP, based on an indication of a group of resource blocks/PRBs that are excluded from DL transmissions [paragraph 0109, 0111, 0112, 0116-0119, 0124 in particular 0119;]. In the case of the UL BWP, in overlapping portions with the DL BWP, the indication of a portion of the slot being unavailable for downlink communications also inversely indicates that a portion of the slot is available or unavailable for uplink use, as the indications are mutually exclusive [paragraph 0110]. Therefore in the case of an UL BWP in which only part of the overlapping portion with the DL BWP is indicated as “unavailable for DL transmissions” [i.e. assigned for exclusive UL BWP use][see paragraph 0119] the remaining portion not indicated as “unavailable for DL transmissions” [i.e. assigned for exclusive UL BWP use] is also indicated as “unavailable for UL transmissions” [i.e. is assigned for exclusive DL BWP use]. Therefore, Abotl discloses setting aside a group of PRBs in both a DL BWP and an UL BWP for use in the UL or DL transmission, respectively.)
perform the uplink reception or the downlink transmission based on at least one physical resource block (PRB), wherein the at least one PRB is based on the configuration information (As discussed, supra, the UE identifies “at least one PRB”/PRBs that are useable for UL reception in the UL BWP and downlink transmission in the DL BWP by removing the excluded/specific PRB group that is allocated to the opposing uplink direction from the PRBs of the respective DL or UL BWP [paragraphs 0110, 0124, 0074, 0089])
wherein based on information related to a specific PRB group in the BWP, the at least one PRB is identified by excluding the specific PRB group from entire PRBs of the BWP (As discussed, supra, the UE identifies “at least one PRB”/PRBs that are useable for UL reception in the UL BWP and downlink transmission in the DL BWP by removing the excluded/specific PRB group that is allocated to the opposing uplink direction from the PRBs of the respective DL or UL BWP [paragraphs 0110, 0124])
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.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Abotal, et al. (US Pre Grant Publication No. 2021/0352667) as applied to claim 1 and further in view of Liu, et al. (US Pre Grant Publication No. 2019/0380098 A1)
Regarding claim 4, Abotal fails to disclose the information related to the specific PRB group indicates a PRB index (i.e. Abotal discloses that the information indicates the PRBs used but fails to explicitly indicating indication using a PRB index.) In the same field of endeavor, Liu discloses the information related to the specific PRB group indicates a PRB index (claim 38 – a carrier sub-band is determine based on a starting PRB index and a length in PRBs).
Therefore, since Liu suggests a PRB index for specifying a set of PRBs, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the PRB index of Liu with the system of Abotal by indicating the specific PRB group using an index and a length in PRBs to indicate the contiguous PRBs of the group. The motive to combine is to reduce overhead by indicating an index and length instead of each PRB in the specific PRB group.
Claim(s) 6 and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Abotal, et al. (US Pre Grant Publication No. 2021/0352667) as applied to claim 1 and further in view of Abdelghaffar, et al. (US Pre Grant Publication No. 2021/0336759 A1)
Regarding claim 6, Abotal fails to disclose the another BWP has a different BWP identifier from the BWP. In the same field of endeavor, Abdelghaffar discloses the another BWP has a different BWP identifier from the BWP (Abdelghaffar discloses that overlapping DL and UL BWPs may come from many different BWP IDs associated with multiple BWPs that are a part of the sets and may change depending on active/inactive BWPs therefore may have different BWP IDs [paragraph 0110, 0095, 0096 – DL BWP varies with different BWP IDs and component pairs of BWPs and therefore is not the same as UL BWP; 0087, UL and DL BWP for duplex communication].)
Therefore, since Abdelghaffar discloses the overlapping BWPs have different BWP IDs, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the different BWP IDs of Abdelghaffar with the system of Abotal by assigning different BWP IDs to the BWP and the another BWP. The motive to combine is to allow unique per BWP settings to be applied to each of the BWPs for greater flexibility.
Regarding claim 7, Abotal fails to disclose based on the BWP and the another BWP having a same BWP identifier, the another BWP is an uplink BWP or a downlink BWP associated with the BWP. In the same field of endeavor, Abdelghaffar discloses based on the BWP and the another BWP having a same BWP identifier, the another BWP is an uplink BWP or a downlink BWP associated with the BWP. (Abdelghaffar discloses that in that a pair of UL and DL BWPs may share the same BWP ID under existing NR standards [paragraph 0074].)
Therefore, since Abdelghaffar discloses paired UL/DL BWPs sharing the same BWP ID when used in existing NR standards, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the paired BWP ID of Abdelghaffar with the system of Abotal by implementing the pair of UL/DL BWPs of Aboti using the same BWP ID to maintain backward compatibility with LTE allocation methods for UEs still operating under TDD UL/DL communications. The motive to combine is to retain backward compatibility with standard LTE nodes.
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Abotal, et al. (US Pre Grant Publication No. 2021/0352667) as applied to claim 1 and further in view of Cirik, et al. (US Pre Grant Publication No. 2020/0213067 A1).
Regarding claim 12, Abotal fails to disclose the configuration information includes information on a center frequency for the uplink transmission or the downlink reception. In the same field of endeavor, Cirik discloses the configuration information includes information on a center frequency for the uplink transmission or the downlink reception. (Cirik discloses that the UL and DL center frequencies of a UL DL BWP pair may be configured differently or the same using RRC signaling indicating the center frequencies [paragraph 0436].)
Therefore, since Cirik discloses center frequency configuration, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the center frequency configuration of Cirik with the system of Abotal by independently configuring the center frequencies of the uplink and downlink BWPs to be the same or different depending on the current system needs. The motive to combine is to allow greater flexibility in defining the UL and DL BWPs for easier configuration and scheduling.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Yang, et al. (US Pre Grant Publication No. 2021/0352604) – disclosing full duplex overlapping UL/DL BWP transmission
Xu, et al. (US Pre Grant Publication No. 2022/0110146) – disclosing full duplex overlapping UL/DL BWP transmission
Zhang, et al. (US Pre Grant Publication No. 2022/0078817) – disclosing full duplex overlapping UL/DL BWP transmission
RP-210293 (Author Unknown, Initial Views on Release 18 NR, Doc No. RP-210293, pages 1-17, 26 March 2021) – disclosing cross division duplex
RWS-210180 (Author Unknown, Title: XDD (crossdivision duplex) for enhanced duplexing operation in 5G Advanced, Doc No. RWS-210180, pages 1-8, 2 July 2021) – disclosing cross division duplex
RWS-210274 (Author Unknown, Study on Full duplex for NR, Doc No. RWS-210274, pages 1-4, 2 July 2021) – disclosing full duplex
RWS-210274 (Author Unknown, Study on Full duplex for NR, Doc No. RWS-210352, pages 1-5, 2 July 2021) – disclosing full duplex
RWS-210397 (Author Unknown, Full Duplex Cell Operation in NR, Doc No. RWS-210397, pages 1-5, 2 July 2021) – disclosing full duplex
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER M CRUTCHFIELD whose telephone number is (571)270-3989. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5pm M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Faruk Hamza can be reached at (571) 272-7969. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHRISTOPHER M CRUTCHFIELD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2466