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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements submitted on 1/18/2024, 1/31/2024, and 11/20/2024 have been considered by the Examiner and made of record in the application file.
Preliminary Amendment
The present Office Action is based upon the original patent application filed on 1/18/2024, as modified by the preliminary amendment also filed on the same day. Claims 49-68 are now pending in the present application.
Claim Objections
Claim 56 is objected to because of the following informalities: on lines 2 and 3, “further further” appears as though it should be “further”. Appropriate correction is required.
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 59, 60, and 65-67 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.
Claims 59 and 67 both list multiple claim elements separated by semicolons with no coordinating conjunction, such as “and” or “or”. Therefore, it is unclear whether the elements are additive or in the alternative. As such, the claims are indefinite. For the purpose of this Office Action, those claim elements is interpreted as in the alternative.
Claim 65 includes the limitation “transmitting, to a User Equipment 'UE', configuration on transmission of a first type of Sidelink 'SL' message that is allowed to use resources in a dedicated resource pool for transmission”. The wording “configuration on transmission” unclear and indefinite. For the purpose of this Office Action the wording is interpreted as “a configuration for transmission”.
Claims 60 and 66 are rejected by virtue of their dependency on claims 59 and 65.
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 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 set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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 49, 65, and 68 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Agiwal et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0329689 A1) (hereinafter Agiwal) in view of Yi et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0135928 A1) (hereinafter Yi).
Regarding claim 49, Agiwal discloses a method at a User Equipment (UE) (Paragraph 0010 discloses a method performed by a first terminal), comprising:
in a case where the UE has a first type of SL message available for transmission (Paragraph 0010 discloses a method performed by a first terminal includes transmitting, to a second terminal, a sidelink signal based on the configured sidelink grant for a first sidelink logical channel which is allowed to use the configured sidelink grant),
obtaining a Sidelink (SL) grant (Paragraph 0010 discloses a method performed by a first terminal includes receiving, from a base station, a control message including a configuration for a configured sidelink grant); and
performing actions related to the transmission of the first type of SL message on at least a part of the resources indicated in the SL grant, by taking into consideration priorities of Sidelink Logical Channels (SLCHs) used to carry the first type of SL message (Paragraph 0010 discloses a method performed by a first terminal includes transmitting, to a second terminal, a sidelink signal based on the configured sidelink grant for a first sidelink logical channel which is allowed to use the configured sidelink grant. Paragraphs 0088, 0102, and 0110 disclose each configured SL grant configuration includes a list of SL LCH priorities for which the configured SL grants based on that configuration is applicable. Each SL LCH is associated with a SL LCH priority. If the SL LCH priority of the SL LCH is included in the list of the SL LCH priorities in the configured SL grant configuration, the configured SL grants based on that configuration can be used for SL transmissions from that SL LCH. In each configured SL grant, the UE schedules data from one or more SL LCH(s) which are allowed to use that configured SL grant (220). If the SL LCH priority of SL LCH is included in a list of SL LCH priorities in the configured SL grant configuration, configured SL grants based on that configuration can be used for SL transmissions from that SL LCH).
Agiwal does not explicitly disclose wherein the SL grant indicates resources belonging to a dedicated resource pool that is dedicated for transmission of the first type of SL message.
In analogous art, Yi discloses wherein the SL grant indicates resources belonging to a dedicated resource pool that is dedicated for transmission of the first type of SL message (Paragraph 0283 discloses a wireless device may receive from a base station one or more radio resource control (RRC) messages. The one or more RRC messages may indicating a first mode for first sidelink transmissions, wherein the wireless device is configured to receive one or more sidelink grants based on a first sidelink resource pool for the first sidelink transmissions in the first mode. The one or more RRC messages may indicate a second mode for second sidelink transmissions, wherein the wireless device is configured to select one or more sidelink resources from a second sidelink resource pool for the second sidelink transmissions in the second mode. Paragraph 0229 discloses different resource priorities may be associated with different resource pools. For example, data associated with a first QoS, service, priority, and/or other characteristic may use a first resource pool and data associated with a second QoS, service, priority, and/or other characteristic may use a second resource pool. For example, a network (e.g., a base station) may configure a priority level for each resource pool, a service to be supported for each resource pool, etc. For example, a network (e.g., a base station) may configure a first resource pool for transmission of sidelink data, a second resource pool for transmission of discovery messages, etc.).
It 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 to incorporate an SL grant indicating a resource pool, as described in Yi, with receiving an SL grant, as described in Agiwal, because doing so is combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results. Combining an SL grant indicating a resource pool of Yi with receiving an SL grant of Agiwal was within the ordinary ability of one of ordinary skill in the art based on the teachings of Yi.
Therefore, it 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 to combine the teachings of Agiwal and Yi to obtain the invention as specified in claim 49.
Regarding claim 65, Agiwal discloses a method at a network node (Paragraph 0010 discloses receiving, from a base station, a control message including a configuration for a configured sidelink grant), comprising:
transmitting, to a User Equipment 'UE', configuration on transmission of a first type of Sidelink 'SL' message (Paragraph 0010 discloses a method performed by a first terminal includes receiving, from a base station, a control message including a configuration for a configured sidelink grant); and
transmitting an SL grant to the UE (Paragraph 0010 discloses a method performed by a first terminal includes receiving, from a base station, a control message including a configuration for a configured sidelink grant).
Agiwal does not explicitly disclose a first type of Sidelink 'SL' message that is allowed to use resources in a dedicated resource pool for transmission; and wherein the SL grant indicates resources belonging to the dedicated resource pool that is dedicated for the transmission of the first type of SL message.
In analogous art, Yi discloses a first type of Sidelink 'SL' message that is allowed to use resources in a dedicated resource pool for transmission (Paragraph 0283 discloses a wireless device may receive from a base station one or more radio resource control (RRC) messages. The one or more RRC messages may indicating a first mode for first sidelink transmissions, wherein the wireless device is configured to receive one or more sidelink grants based on a first sidelink resource pool for the first sidelink transmissions in the first mode. The one or more RRC messages may indicate a second mode for second sidelink transmissions, wherein the wireless device is configured to select one or more sidelink resources from a second sidelink resource pool for the second sidelink transmissions in the second mode. Paragraph 0229 discloses different resource priorities may be associated with different resource pools. For example, data associated with a first QoS, service, priority, and/or other characteristic may use a first resource pool and data associated with a second QoS, service, priority, and/or other characteristic may use a second resource pool. For example, a network (e.g., a base station) may configure a priority level for each resource pool, a service to be supported for each resource pool, etc. For example, a network (e.g., a base station) may configure a first resource pool for transmission of sidelink data, a second resource pool for transmission of discovery messages, etc.); and
wherein the SL grant indicates resources belonging to the dedicated resource pool that is dedicated for the transmission of the first type of SL message (Paragraph 0283 discloses a wireless device may receive from a base station one or more radio resource control (RRC) messages. The one or more RRC messages may indicating a first mode for first sidelink transmissions, wherein the wireless device is configured to receive one or more sidelink grants based on a first sidelink resource pool for the first sidelink transmissions in the first mode. The one or more RRC messages may indicate a second mode for second sidelink transmissions, wherein the wireless device is configured to select one or more sidelink resources from a second sidelink resource pool for the second sidelink transmissions in the second mode. Paragraph 0229 discloses different resource priorities may be associated with different resource pools. For example, data associated with a first QoS, service, priority, and/or other characteristic may use a first resource pool and data associated with a second QoS, service, priority, and/or other characteristic may use a second resource pool. For example, a network (e.g., a base station) may configure a priority level for each resource pool, a service to be supported for each resource pool, etc. For example, a network (e.g., a base station) may configure a first resource pool for transmission of sidelink data, a second resource pool for transmission of discovery messages, etc.).
It 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 to incorporate an SL grant indicating a resource pool, as described in Yi, with transmitting an SL grant, as described in Agiwal, because doing so is combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results. Combining an SL grant indicating a resource pool of Yi with transmitting an SL grant of Agiwal was within the ordinary ability of one of ordinary skill in the art based on the teachings of Yi.
Therefore, it 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 to combine the teachings of Agiwal and Yi to obtain the invention as specified in claim 65.
Regarding claim 68, Agiwal discloses a User Equipment (UE) (Figure 8 and paragraph 0221 disclose a terminal) comprising:
at least one processor, and at least one memory, storing instructions which, when executed on the at least one processor, cause the UE (Figure 8 and paragraphs 0221 and 0222 disclose a terminal includes a transceiver 810, a controller 820 and a memory 830. The controller 820 may refer to a circuitry, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or at least one processor. The transceiver 810, the controller 820 and the memory 830 are configured to perform the operations of the terminal. In an embodiment, the operations of the terminal may be implemented using the memory 830 storing corresponding program codes. Specifically, the terminal may be equipped with the memory 830 to store program codes implementing desired operations. To perform the desired operations, the controller 820 may read and execute the program codes stored in the memory 830 by using a processor or a central processing unit (CPU)) to:
in a case where the UE has a first type of SL message available for transmission (Paragraph 0010 discloses a method performed by a first terminal includes transmitting, to a second terminal, a sidelink signal based on the configured sidelink grant for a first sidelink logical channel which is allowed to use the configured sidelink grant),
obtain a Sidelink 'SL' grant (Paragraph 0010 discloses a method performed by a first terminal includes receiving, from a base station, a control message including a configuration for a configured sidelink grant); and
perform actions related to the transmission of the first type of SL message on at least a part of the resources indicated in the SL grant, by taking into consideration priorities of Sidelink Logical Channels 'SLCHs' used to carry the first type of SL message (Paragraph 0010 discloses a method performed by a first terminal includes transmitting, to a second terminal, a sidelink signal based on the configured sidelink grant for a first sidelink logical channel which is allowed to use the configured sidelink grant. Paragraphs 0088, 0102, and 0110 disclose each configured SL grant configuration includes a list of SL LCH priorities for which the configured SL grants based on that configuration is applicable. Each SL LCH is associated with a SL LCH priority. If the SL LCH priority of the SL LCH is included in the list of the SL LCH priorities in the configured SL grant configuration, the configured SL grants based on that configuration can be used for SL transmissions from that SL LCH. In each configured SL grant, the UE schedules data from one or more SL LCH(s) which are allowed to use that configured SL grant (220). If the SL LCH priority of SL LCH is included in a list of SL LCH priorities in the configured SL grant configuration, configured SL grants based on that configuration can be used for SL transmissions from that SL LCH).
Agiwal does not explicitly disclose wherein the SL grant indicates resources belonging to a dedicated resource pool that is dedicated for transmission of the first type of SL message.
In analogous art, Yi discloses wherein the SL grant indicates resources belonging to a dedicated resource pool that is dedicated for transmission of the first type of SL message (Paragraph 0283 discloses a wireless device may receive from a base station one or more radio resource control (RRC) messages. The one or more RRC messages may indicating a first mode for first sidelink transmissions, wherein the wireless device is configured to receive one or more sidelink grants based on a first sidelink resource pool for the first sidelink transmissions in the first mode. The one or more RRC messages may indicate a second mode for second sidelink transmissions, wherein the wireless device is configured to select one or more sidelink resources from a second sidelink resource pool for the second sidelink transmissions in the second mode. Paragraph 0229 discloses different resource priorities may be associated with different resource pools. For example, data associated with a first QoS, service, priority, and/or other characteristic may use a first resource pool and data associated with a second QoS, service, priority, and/or other characteristic may use a second resource pool. For example, a network (e.g., a base station) may configure a priority level for each resource pool, a service to be supported for each resource pool, etc. For example, a network (e.g., a base station) may configure a first resource pool for transmission of sidelink data, a second resource pool for transmission of discovery messages, etc.).
It 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 to incorporate an SL grant indicating a resource pool, as described in Yi, with receiving an SL grant, as described in Agiwal, because doing so is combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results. Combining an SL grant indicating a resource pool of Yi with receiving an SL grant of Agiwal was within the ordinary ability of one of ordinary skill in the art based on the teachings of Yi.
Therefore, it 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 to combine the teachings of Agiwal and Yi to obtain the invention as specified in claim 68.
Claim 50 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Agiwal in view of Yi as applied to claim 49 above, and further in view of Kang et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020/0344771 A1) (hereinafter Kang).
Regarding claim 50, as applied to claim 49 above, Agiwal, as modified by Yi, discloses the claimed invention except explicitly disclosing selecting a destination from a plurality of destinations to which the transmission of the first type of SL message is to be performed, based on a highest priority of SLCHs used to carry the first type of SL message that are associated with each of the plurality of destinations, wherein the selected destination has an SLCH with the highest priority; and assigning the resources indicated in the SL grant to one or more SLCHs used to carry the first type of SL message that are associated with the selected destination, for the transmission of the first type of SL message, based on the priorities of the one or more SLCHs used to carry the first type of SL message that are associated with the selected destination.
In analogous art, Kang discloses selecting a destination from a plurality of destinations to which the transmission of the first type of SL message is to be performed, based on a highest priority of SLCHs used to carry the first type of SL message that are associated with each of the plurality of destinations, wherein the selected destination has an SLCH with the highest priority (Paragraph 0166 discloses the terminal may select a destination index corresponding to the highest-priority logical channel among the sidelink logical channels with a packet to be transmitted); and
assigning the resources indicated in the SL grant to one or more SLCHs used to carry the first type of SL message that are associated with the selected destination, for the transmission of the first type of SL message, based on the priorities of the one or more SLCHs used to carry the first type of SL message that are associated with the selected destination (Paragraph 0168 discloses the terminal may allocate a resource to the sidelink logical channel having the highest priority among the sidelink logical channels corresponding to the selected destination index and having a packet to be transmitted).
It 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 to incorporate selecting a destination corresponding to a highest-priority channel with a packet to be transmitted and allocating resources to the sidelink logical channel having the highest priority, as described in Kang, with transmitting a sidelink signal based on the configured sidelink grant for a first sidelink logical channel which is allowed to use the configured sidelink grant, as described in Agiwal, as modified by Yi, because doing so is combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results. Combining selecting a destination corresponding to a highest-priority channel with a packet to be transmitted and allocating resources to the sidelink logical channel having the highest priority of Kang with transmitting a sidelink signal based on the configured sidelink grant for a first sidelink logical channel which is allowed to use the configured sidelink grant of Agiwal, as modified by Yi, was within the ordinary ability of one of ordinary skill in the art based on the teachings of Kang.
Therefore, it 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 to combine the teachings of Agiwal, Yi, and Kang to obtain the invention as specified in claim 50.
Claims 51-53 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Agiwal in view of Yi as applied to claim 49 above, and further in view of Lin (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0105790 A1) (hereinafter Lin).
Regarding claim 51, as applied to claim 49 above, Agiwal, as modified by Yi, discloses the claimed invention except explicitly disclosing in a case where prioritization between Uplink (UL) transmission and SL transmission is needed for the UE, performing prioritization based on the highest priority of the one or more SLCHs carrying or used to carry the first type of SL message and a highest priority of one or more Logical Channels 'LCHs' carrying or used to carry UL messages; and performing transmission of the UL messages if the UL transmission is prioritized, otherwise performing the transmission of the first type of SL message.
In analogous art, Lin discloses in a case where prioritization between Uplink (UL) transmission and SL transmission is needed for the UE (Paragraph 0004 discloses which of the UL transmission and the SL transmission is to be prioritized is determined according to: when a highest priority of an UL logical channel(s) (LCH(s)) with UL data available for the UL transmission is lower than a priority corresponding to the UL prioritization threshold, and a highest priority of a SL LCH(s) with SL data available for the SL transmission is higher than a priority corresponding to the SL prioritization threshold, prioritizing the SL transmission over the UL transmission, and when the highest priority of the UL LCH(s) with the UL data available for the UL transmission is higher than the priority corresponding to the UL prioritization threshold, or the highest priority of the SL LCH(s) with the SL data available for the SL transmission is lower than the priority corresponding to the SL prioritization threshold, prioritizing the UL transmission over the SL transmission),
performing prioritization based on the highest priority of the one or more SLCHs carrying or used to carry the first type of SL message and a highest priority of one or more Logical Channels 'LCHs' carrying or used to carry UL messages (Paragraph 0004 discloses which of the UL transmission and the SL transmission is to be prioritized is determined according to: when a highest priority of an UL logical channel(s) (LCH(s)) with UL data available for the UL transmission is lower than a priority corresponding to the UL prioritization threshold, and a highest priority of a SL LCH(s) with SL data available for the SL transmission is higher than a priority corresponding to the SL prioritization threshold, prioritizing the SL transmission over the UL transmission, and when the highest priority of the UL LCH(s) with the UL data available for the UL transmission is higher than the priority corresponding to the UL prioritization threshold, or the highest priority of the SL LCH(s) with the SL data available for the SL transmission is lower than the priority corresponding to the SL prioritization threshold, prioritizing the UL transmission over the SL transmission); and
performing transmission of the UL messages if the UL transmission is prioritized, otherwise performing the transmission of the first type of SL message (Paragraph 0004 discloses which of the UL transmission and the SL transmission is to be prioritized is determined according to: when a highest priority of an UL logical channel(s) (LCH(s)) with UL data available for the UL transmission is lower than a priority corresponding to the UL prioritization threshold, and a highest priority of a SL LCH(s) with SL data available for the SL transmission is higher than a priority corresponding to the SL prioritization threshold, prioritizing the SL transmission over the UL transmission, and when the highest priority of the UL LCH(s) with the UL data available for the UL transmission is higher than the priority corresponding to the UL prioritization threshold, or the highest priority of the SL LCH(s) with the SL data available for the SL transmission is lower than the priority corresponding to the SL prioritization threshold, prioritizing the UL transmission over the SL transmission).
It 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 to incorporate selecting between an SL transmission and an UL transmission based on priority, as described in Kang, with transmitting a sidelink signal based on the configured sidelink grant for a first sidelink logical channel which is allowed to use the configured sidelink grant, as described in Agiwal, as modified by Yi, because doing so is combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results. Combining selecting between an SL transmission and an UL transmission based on priority of Kang with transmitting a sidelink signal based on the configured sidelink grant for a first sidelink logical channel which is allowed to use the configured sidelink grant of Agiwal, as modified by Yi, was within the ordinary ability of one of ordinary skill in the art based on the teachings of Kang.
Therefore, it 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 to combine the teachings of Agiwal, Yi, and Lin to obtain the invention as specified in claim 51.
Regarding claim 52, as applied to claim 51 above, Agiwal, as modified by Yi, discloses the claimed invention except explicitly disclosing wherein the transmission of the first type of SL message is performed if the highest priority of the one or more SLCHs carrying or used to carry the first type of SL message is smaller than an SL prioritization threshold, while the highest priority of the one or more LCHs carrying or used to carry the UL message is larger than an UL prioritization threshold; and the transmission of the UL messages is performed, if the highest priority of the one or more SLCHs carrying or used to carry the first type of SL message is larger than an SL prioritization threshold, or the highest priority of the one or more LCHs carrying or used to carry the type of UL message is smaller than an UL prioritization threshold.
In analogous art, Lin discloses wherein the transmission of the first type of SL message is performed if the highest priority of the one or more SLCHs carrying or used to carry the first type of SL message is smaller than an SL prioritization threshold, while the highest priority of the one or more LCHs carrying or used to carry the UL message is larger than an UL prioritization threshold; and the transmission of the UL messages is performed, if the highest priority of the one or more SLCHs carrying or used to carry the first type of SL message is larger than an SL prioritization threshold, or the highest priority of the one or more LCHs carrying or used to carry the type of UL message is smaller than an UL prioritization threshold (Paragraph 0004 discloses which of the UL transmission and the SL transmission is to be prioritized is determined according to: when a highest priority of an UL logical channel(s) (LCH(s)) with UL data available for the UL transmission is lower than a priority corresponding to the UL prioritization threshold, and a highest priority of a SL LCH(s) with SL data available for the SL transmission is higher than a priority corresponding to the SL prioritization threshold, prioritizing the SL transmission over the UL transmission, and when the highest priority of the UL LCH(s) with the UL data available for the UL transmission is higher than the priority corresponding to the UL prioritization threshold, or the highest priority of the SL LCH(s) with the SL data available for the SL transmission is lower than the priority corresponding to the SL prioritization threshold, prioritizing the UL transmission over the SL transmission).
It 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 to incorporate selecting between an SL transmission and an UL transmission based on priority, as described in Kang, with transmitting a sidelink signal based on the configured sidelink grant for a first sidelink logical channel which is allowed to use the configured sidelink grant, as described in Agiwal, as modified by Yi, because doing so is combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results. Combining selecting between an SL transmission and an UL transmission based on priority of Kang with transmitting a sidelink signal based on the configured sidelink grant for a first sidelink logical channel which is allowed to use the configured sidelink grant of Agiwal, as modified by Yi, was within the ordinary ability of one of ordinary skill in the art based on the teachings of Kang.
Therefore, it 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 to combine the teachings of Agiwal, Yi, and Lin to obtain the invention as specified in claim 52.
Regarding claim 53, as applied to claim 49 above, Agiwal, as modified by Yi, discloses the claimed invention except explicitly disclosing building an SL Media Access Control 'MAC' Protocol Data Unit 'PDU' only comprising the one or more SLCHs used to carry the first type of SL message.
In analogous art, Lin discloses building an SL Media Access Control 'MAC' Protocol Data Unit 'PDU' only comprising the one or more SLCHs used to carry the first type of SL message (Paragraph 0017 discloses at least one of the sidelink logical channels that has a highest priority is determined. Further, data of at least one of the logical channels that has the same sidelink cast type as the highest-priority sidelink logical channel are multiplexed into a MAC PDU).
It 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 to incorporate multiplexing data having the same sidelink cast type as the highest-priority SLCH into a MAC PDU, as described in Lin, with transmitting a sidelink signal based on the configured sidelink grant for a first sidelink logical channel which is allowed to use the configured sidelink grant, as described in Agiwal, as modified by Yi, because doing so is combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results. Combining multiplexing data having the same sidelink cast type as the highest-priority SLCH into a MAC PDU of Lin with transmitting a sidelink signal based on the configured sidelink grant for a first sidelink logical channel which is allowed to use the configured sidelink grant of Agiwal, as modified by Yi, was within the ordinary ability of one of ordinary skill in the art based on the teachings of Lin.
Therefore, it 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 to combine the teachings of Agiwal, Yi, and Lin to obtain the invention as specified in claim 53.
Claim 54 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Agiwal in view of Yi as applied to claim 49 above, and further in view of Adjakple et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0153065 A1) (hereinafter Adjakple).
Regarding claim 54, as applied to claim 49 above, Agiwal, as modified by Yi, further discloses obtaining configuration on SL transmission parameters (Paragraph 0010 discloses a method performed by a first terminal includes receiving, from a base station, a control message including a configuration for a configured sidelink grant).
Agiwal, as modified by Yi, does not explicitly disclose wherein said performing the actions comprises: selecting SL transmission parameters for the transmission of the first type of SL message based on the highest priority of the SLCHs used to carry the first type of SL message.
In analogous art, Adjakple discloses wherein said performing the actions comprises: selecting SL transmission parameters for the transmission of the first type of SL message based on the highest priority of the SLCHs used to carry the first type of SL message (Paragraph 0399 discloses the priority value of a V2X sidelink transmission may be the value of the highest priority of the sidelink logical channel(s) in the MAC PDU).
It 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 to incorporate the priority value of a V2X sidelink transmission being the value of the highest priority of the sidelink logical channels in the MAC PDU, as described in Adjakple, with transmitting a sidelink signal based on the configured sidelink grant for a first sidelink logical channel which is allowed to use the configured sidelink grant, as described in Agiwal, as modified by Yi, because doing so is combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results. Combining the priority value of a V2X sidelink transmission being the value of the highest priority of the sidelink logical channels in the MAC PDU of Adjakple with transmitting a sidelink signal based on the configured sidelink grant for a first sidelink logical channel which is allowed to use the configured sidelink grant of Agiwal, as modified by Yi, was within the ordinary ability of one of ordinary skill in the art based on the teachings of Adjakple.
Therefore, it 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 to combine the teachings of Agiwal, Yi, and Adjakple to obtain the invention as specified in claim 54.
Claim 55 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Agiwal in view of Yi as applied to claim 49 above, and further in view of Chen et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0168814 A1) (hereinafter Chen).
Regarding claim 55, as applied to claim 49 above, Agiwal, as modified by Yi, further discloses wherein said obtaining the SL grant comprises: receiving the SL grant from a network node (Paragraph 0010 discloses a method performed by a first terminal includes receiving, from a base station, a control message including a configuration for a configured sidelink grant).
Agiwal, as modified by Yi, does not explicitly disclose identifying whether the resources indicated in the SL grant belong to the dedicated resource pool for the transmission of the first type of SL message based on one of: a pool ID comprised in Downlink Control Information 'DCI' for indicating a resource pool associated with the SL grant, in a case where the SL grant is a dynamic SL grant; and pool configuration in Radio Resource Control 'RRC' signaling, in a case where the SL grant is a configured SL grant, wherein the pool configuration is associated to a pool ID for indicating a resource pool.
In analogous art, Chen discloses identifying whether the resources indicated in the SL grant belong to the dedicated resource pool for the transmission of the first type of SL message based on one of: a pool ID comprised in Downlink Control Information 'DCI' for indicating a resource pool associated with the SL grant, in a case where the SL grant is a dynamic SL grant; and pool configuration in Radio Resource Control 'RRC' signaling, in a case where the SL grant is a configured SL grant, wherein the pool configuration is associated to a pool ID for indicating a resource pool (Paragraph 0125 discloses base station includes pool ids and/or bwp ids in the transmitted sidelink grant DCI so as to indicate the sidelink transmission resource pools and/or sidelink BWPs corresponding to the DCI resource).
It 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 to incorporate including pool ids in a transmitted sidelink grant DCI, as described in Chen, with transmitting a sidelink signal based on the configured sidelink grant for a first sidelink logical channel which is allowed to use the configured sidelink grant, as described in Agiwal, as modified by Yi, because doing so is combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results. Combining including pool ids in a transmitted sidelink grant DCI of Chen with transmitting a sidelink signal based on the configured sidelink grant for a first sidelink logical channel which is allowed to use the configured sidelink grant of Agiwal, as modified by Yi, was within the ordinary ability of one of ordinary skill in the art based on the teachings of Chen.
Therefore, it 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 to combine the teachings of Agiwal, Yi, and Chen to obtain the invention as specified in claim 55.
Claim 59 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Agiwal in view of Yi as applied to claim 49 above, and further in view of Hoang et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023/0284206 A1) (hereinafter Hoang).
Regarding claim 59, as applied to claim 49 above, Agiwal, as modified by Yi, discloses the claimed invention except explicitly disclosing wherein the dedicated resource pool and a shared resource pool are configured by a network node or preconfigured in the UE for the transmission of the first type of SL message, and wherein the method further comprises: performing pool selection between the dedicated resource pool and the shared resource pool according to at least one of selection criteria, in which the shared resource pool is selected, if the UE has available for transmission both the first type of SL message and a second type of SL message that is not allowed to use the resources in the dedicated resource pool for transmission, or if the UE has available for transmission only the second type of SL message; while the dedicated resource pool is selected if the UE has available for transmission only the first type of SL message; the shared resource pool is selected if the highest priority of the SLCHs used to carry the first type of SL message is not higher than that of SLCHs used to carry the second type of SL message, while the dedicated resource pool is selected if the highest priority of the SLCHs used to carry the first type of SL message is higher than that of SLCHs used to carry the second type of SL message; a type of resource pool with a higher priority is selected, wherein a resource pool is randomly selected or a resource pool with a lowest congestion is selected if there are a plurality of resources pools belonging to the selected pool type, in a case where different priority values are configured by the network node or preconfigured in the UE respectively for the dedicated resource pool and the shared resource pool; a type of resource pool is selected according to configuration by the network node or preconfiguration in the UE, in which case a resource pool is randomly selected or a resource pool with a lowest congestion is selected if there are a plurality of resources pools belonging to the selected pool type; a resource pool with a lower congestion is selected, regardless of the type of the pool; the UE transmits a preference indication on the pool selection to the network node, receives acceptance of the preference indication from the network node, and selects a type of resource pool based on the preference indication; the UE transmits a preference indication on the pool selection to the network node, receives another preference indication from the network node, and selects a type of resource pool based on the received preference indication; it is up to implementation of the UE to select which type of resource pool.
In analogous art, Hoang discloses wherein the dedicated resource pool and a shared resource pool are configured by a network node or preconfigured in the UE for the transmission of the first type of SL message (Paragraph 0232 discloses the WTRU may be (pre-)configured with one or multiple shared resource pools and/or one or more dedicated resource pools), and
wherein the method further comprises: performing pool selection between the dedicated resource pool and the shared resource pool according to at least one of selection criteria, in which the shared resource pool is selected, if the UE has available for transmission both the first type of SL message and a second type of SL message that is not allowed to use the resources in the dedicated resource pool for transmission, or if the UE has available for transmission only the second type of SL message; while the dedicated resource pool is selected if the UE has available for transmission only the first type of SL message; the shared resource pool is selected if the highest priority of the SLCHs used to carry the first type of SL message is not higher than that of SLCHs used to carry the second type of SL message, while the dedicated resource pool is selected if the highest priority of the SLCHs used to carry the first type of SL message is higher than that of SLCHs used to carry the second type of SL message; a type of resource pool with a higher priority is selected, wherein a resource pool is randomly selected or a resource pool with a lowest congestion is selected if there are a plurality of resources pools belonging to the selected pool type, in a case where different priority values are configured by the network node or preconfigured in the UE respectively for the dedicated resource pool and the shared resource pool; a type of resource pool is selected according to configuration by the network node or preconfiguration in the UE, in which case a resource pool is randomly selected or a resource pool with a lowest congestion is selected if there are a plurality of resources pools belonging to the selected pool type; a resource pool with a lower congestion is selected, regardless of the type of the pool; the UE transmits a preference indication on the pool selection to the network node, receives acceptance of the preference indication from the network node, and selects a type of resource pool based on the preference indication; the UE transmits a preference indication on the pool selection to the network node, receives another preference indication from the network node, and selects a type of resource pool based on the received preference indication; it is up to implementation of the UE to select which type of resource pool (Paragraph 0242 discloses the WTRU may determine which resource pool(s) to use).
It 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 to incorporate pre-configuring a WTRU with shared resource pools and dedicated resource pools and the WRU selecting which pool to use, as described in Hoang, with resource pools for an SL grant, as described in Agiwal, as modified by Yi, because doing so is combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results. Combining pre-configuring a WTRU with shared resource pools and dedicated resource pools and the WRU selecting which pool to use of Hoang with resource pools for an SL grant of Agiwal, as modified by Yi, was within the ordinary ability of one of ordinary skill in the art based on the teachings of Hoang.
Therefore, it 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 to combine the teachings of Agiwal, Yi, and Hoang to obtain the invention as specified in claim 59.
Claim 64 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Agiwal in view of Yi as applied to claim 49 above, and further in view of Wang et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0338078 A1) (hereinafter Wang).
Regarding claim 64, as applied to claim 49 above, Agiwal, as modified by Yi, discloses the claimed invention except explicitly disclosing wherein the dedicated resource pool and a shared resource pool are configured by a network node or preconfigured in the UE for the transmission of the first type of SL message, and wherein the method further comprises: after the type of resource pool is selected, switching to another type of resource pool due to at least one of reasons of: congestion in the selected resource pool being higher than a predetermined threshold, measured transmission performance using the selected resource pool become being higher than a threshold, measured Quality of Service 'QoS' metrics using the selected resource pool not meeting specific requirements, services/applications/traffic types that are associated with different resource pools and have available data having changed, or the UE's battery life having changed.
In analogous art, Wang discloses wherein the dedicated resource pool and a shared resource pool are configured by a network node or preconfigured in the UE for the transmission of the first type of SL message, and wherein the method further comprises: after the type of resource pool is selected, switching to another type of resource pool due to at least one of reasons of: congestion in the selected resource pool being higher than a predetermined threshold, measured transmission performance using the selected resource pool become being higher than a threshold, measured Quality of Service 'QoS' metrics using the selected resource pool not meeting specific requirements, services/applications/traffic types that are associated with different resource pools and have available data having changed, or the UE's battery life having changed (Paragraph 0084 discloses if the wireless device receives transmissions from a wireless device with a higher priority, if the wireless device experiences a long delay to transmit D2D data, or if the wireless device experiences a high collision rate when using a resource from the group, then the wireless device may determine that its associated priority group may be congested. The wireless device may attempt to alleviate the congestion by switching to another resource pool configuration).
It 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 to incorporate switching resource pools if a wireless device experiences congestion, as described in Wang, with resource pools for an SL grant, as described in Agiwal, as modified by Yi, because doing so is combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results. Combining switching resource pools if a wireless device experiences congestion of Wang with resource pools for an SL grant of Agiwal, as modified by Yi, was within the ordinary ability of one of ordinary skill in the art based on the teachings of Wang.
Therefore, it 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 to combine the teachings of Agiwal, Yi, and Wang to obtain the invention as specified in claim 64.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 56-58 and 61-63 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.
Claims 60, 66, and 67 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Considering claim 56, the best prior art found during the prosecution of the present application, Agiwal and Yi, fails to disclose, teach, or suggest the limitations of wherein said obtaining the grant comprises generating the SL grant based on the resources selected from the dedicated resource pool, the method further comprising: performing resource selection in the dedicated resource pool based on channel sensing, by taking into consideration the priorities of the SLCHs carrying or used to carry the first type of SL message in combination with and in the context of all of the other limitations in claim 56 and all claims upon which it depends.
Considering claim 58, the best prior art found during the prosecution of the present application, Agiwal and Yi, fails to disclose, teach, or suggest the limitations of wherein said obtaining the grant comprises generating the SL grant based on the resources selected from the dedicated resource pool, obtaining configuration on preemption of resources in the dedicated resource pool that are preserved by SCI received from a neighbor UE, for the transmission of the first type of SL message that is allowed to use resources in the dedicated resource pool for transmission; and in the case where the UE has the first type of SL message available for transmission, comparing a highest priority of SLCHs carrying or used to carry the first type of SL message with a priority indicated in the received SCI; and determining to preempt the resources preserved by the received SCI, if the highest priority of the SLCHs carrying or used to carry the first type of SL message is higher than the priority indicated in the received SCI in combination with and in the context of all of the other limitations in claim 58 and all claims upon which it depends.
Considering claim 60, the best prior art found during the prosecution of the present application, Agiwal and Yi, fails to disclose, teach, or suggest the limitations of receiving separate Scheduling Request 'SR' configurations associated with different types of resource pools respectively; and transmitting an SR for signaling the preference indication using one of the separate SR configurations, in a case where the UE has the first type of SL message available for transmission in combination with and in the context of all of the other limitations in claim 60.
Considering claim 61, the best prior art found during the prosecution of the present application, Agiwal and Yi, fails to disclose, teach, or suggest the limitations of receiving, from the network node, configuration on a specific SL Logical Channel Group 'SLCG' that at least comprise an SLCH used to carry the first type of SL message; and transmitting, to the network node, an SL Buffer Status Report 'BSR' comprising the configured specific SLCG in the case where the UE has the first type of SL message available for transmission in combination with and in the context of all of the other limitations in claim 61 and all claims upon which it depends.
Considering claim 62, the best prior art found during the prosecution of the present application, Agiwal and Yi, fails to disclose, teach, or suggest the limitations of receiving, from the network node, configuration on an SR that is associated with an SLCH and/or SLCG used to carry the first type of SL message; and triggering the configured SR, in the case where the UE has the first type of SL message available for transmission; and transmitting the configured SR to the network node in combination with and in the context of all of the other limitations in claim 62 and all claims upon which it depends.
Considering claim 63, the best prior art found during the prosecution of the present application, Agiwal and Yi, fails to disclose, teach, or suggest the limitations of in a case where the highest priority of SLCHs used to carry the first type of SL message is lower than the highest priority of SLCHs used to carry a second type of SL message that is not allowed to use the dedicated resource pool for transmission, or in a case where the UE has available for transmission only a second type of SL message that is not allowed to use the dedicated resource pool for transmission, and the UE has only an available SL grant indicating resources belonging to the dedicated resource pool, triggering an SR for requesting additional resources for the second type of SL message; and transmitting the SR to the network node in combination with and in the context of all of the other limitations in claim 63 and all claims upon which it depends.
Considering claim 66, the best prior art found during the prosecution of the present application, Agiwal and Yi, fails to disclose, teach, or suggest the limitations of wherein the configuration comprises: configuration on preemption of resources in the dedicated resource pool that are preserved by SCI received from a neighbor UE for the transmission of the first type of SL message that is allowed to use resources in the dedicated resource pool for transmission in combination with and in the context of all of the other limitations in claim 66 and all claims upon which it depends.
Considering claim 67, the best prior art found during the prosecution of the present application, Agiwal and Yi, fails to disclose, teach, or suggest the limitations of wherein the dedicated resource pool and a shared resource pool are configured by a network node for the transmission of the first type of SL message, performing pool selection between the dedicated resource pool and the shared resource pool according to at least one of selection criteria, in which the shared resource pool is selected, if the UE has available for transmission both the first type of SL message and a second type of SL message that is not allowed to use the resources in the dedicated resource pool for transmission, or if the UE has available for transmission only the second type of SL message; while the dedicated resource pool is selected if the UE has available for transmission only the first type of SL message; the shared resource pool is selected if the highest priority of the SLCHs used to carry the first type of SL message is not higher than that of SLCHs used to carry the second type of SL message, while the dedicated resource pool is selected if the highest priority of the SLCHs used to carry the first type of SL message is higher than that of SLCHs used to carry the second type of SL message; a type of resource pool with a higher priority is selected, wherein a resource pool is randomly selected or a resource pool with a lowest congestion is selected if there are a plurality of resources pools belonging to the selected pool type, in a case where different priority values are configured by the network node respectively for the dedicated resource pool and the shared resource pool; a type of resource pool is selected according to configuration by the network node, in which case a resource pool is randomly selected or a resource pool with a lowest congestion is selected if there are a plurality of resources pools belonging to the selected pool type; a resource pool with a lower congestion is selected, regardless of the type of the pool; the network node receives a preference indication from the UE on the pool selection, and selects a type of resource pool taking into consideration the preference indication; the network node receives the preference indication from the UE on the pool selection, and transmits acceptance of the preference indication to the UE; it is up to implementation of the network node to select which type of resource pool in combination with and in the context of all of the other limitations in claim 67 and all claims upon which it depends.
Claim 57 also includes allowable subject matter by virtue of its dependency on claim 56.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to Applicant's disclosure.
Sun et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0359599 A1) discloses a method and devices for allocating uplink reference signal resources in combined cells;
Chen et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0150490 A1) discloses a method and apparatus for switching communication interface in a wireless communication system;
Lee et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0049084 A1) discloses a method and apparatus for performing user equipment autonomous resource reselection based on counter in wireless communication system;
Lee et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0234973 A1) discloses a method and apparatus for calculating channel occupancy ratio in wireless communication system;
Lee et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0263062 A1) discloses a method and apparatus for performing sidelink transmission based on contention based scheduling request in wireless communication system;
Basu Mallick et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019/0182639 A1) discloses an improved mechanism for QoS implementation in vehicular communication;
Lee et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019/0289615 A1) discloses a method and apparatus for terminal self-reselecting resource based on priority in wireless communication system;
Loehr et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019/0313375 A1) discloses improved semi-persistent resource allocation behavior for V2X transmissions;
Lee et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020/0169984 A1) discloses a method and apparatus for user equipment independently reselecting resource based on resource pool configuration in wireless communication system;
Pan et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020/0205209 A1) discloses a method and apparatus for supporting one-to-one sidelink communication in a wireless communication system;
Kang et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0045138 A1) discloses an apparatus and method for handling collisions of transmissions in wireless communication system;
Park et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0105787 A1) discloses sidelink bearer mode selection;
Cao et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0144750 A1) discloses a system and method for reservation and resource selection for sidelink communication; and
Tseng et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023/0066448 A1) discloses a method and user equipment for sidelink packet exchange operation.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the Examiner should be directed to MARK G. PANNELL whose telephone number is (303) 297-4245. The Examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 3:00 pm (Mountain Time).
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If attempts to reach the Examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the Examiner’s supervisor, Rafael Perez-Gutierrez can be reached on (571) 272-7915. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-8300.
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/Mark G. Pannell/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2642