DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Amendment filed 3/17/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 1, 8, 36, and 37 have been amended. The previous objection to claim 8 is withdrawn in light of the amendment.
Claim 2 has been cancelled, claims 18 and 22-35 were previously cancelled.
Claims 1, 3-17, 19-21, 36, and 37 remain pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1, 3-17, 19-21, 36, and 37 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yeo et al. (US20210321414A1), hereafter Yeo, in view of Lin (US20210360638A1) and Hwang et al. (US20190379489A1), hereafter Hwang.
Regarding claims 1, 36, and 37,
Yeo discloses a wireless communication apparatus (Fig. 16) comprising a non-transitory computer program product comprising a computer-readable program medium/memory storing instructions (Fig. 16, memory 16-04; paragraph 162) and a processor in communication with the medium/memory, wherein, when the processor (Fig. 16, processor 16-02) executes the instructions (paragraph 163) to cause the wireless communication apparatus to perform a method (Fig. 13) for wireless communication comprising transmitting a set of transport blocks (TBs) between a first wireless device and a second wireless device (Fig. 9, 16, 17; paragraph 158, i.e. between 2 devices and/or terminal and base station) by receiving, by the second wireless device, a resource indication from the first wireless device (Fig. 13, step 13-01-13-03; scheduling DCI/multiple MCS information indicates transmission of two TBs), wherein the resource indication indicates resource allocation of the set of TBs in a resource space comprising a time unit in a time domain and a frequency unit in a frequency domain where each TB mapped to a codeword in the set of TBs is mapped to different time-frequency resource in the resource space (Fig. 13, step 13-03 in which TBs are mapped to different resources; see also paragraphs 155-157, Tables 2-3 and Fig. 10-12 showing time and frequency resources; paragraph 46-48, 91; i.e. TBs belonging to different multiplexed services).
Yeo does not expressly disclose the set of TBs comprises n TBs mapped to the same codeword, and n is an integer larger than 1.
Lin discloses analogous art (Fig. 1, 3; Background; paragraphs 61-74) the set of TBs comprises n TBs mapped to the same codeword, and n is an integer larger than 1 (paragraphs 116, 156, 172, 188, 212-225; two TBs belonging to the same codeword).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of effective filing to modify Yeo by providing the set of TBs comprises n TBs mapped to the same codeword, and n is an integer larger than 1, as shown by Lin, thereby enabling the feedback response of two CBGs belonging to the same TB to be compressed.
Yeo discloses the resource space corresponds to the set of TBs in a HARQ process in a carrier (Yeo: paragraph 29-40, 58, 75-77; Lin: paragraph 122), but fails to expressly show a single HARQ process in a single carrier.
Hwang discloses analogous art (Title: Transmitting HARQ-ACK Signal in Wireless Communication System) mapping multiple codewords/TBs to the same PUCCH resource (paragraph 113) including resource space corresponding to a set of TBs in a single HARQ process in a single carrier (paragraphs 142-146; simultaneous transmission of HARQ-ACK for multiple TBs over the same channel to maintain single carrier property configuration).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of effective filing to modify Yeo by providing a resource space corresponding to the set of TBs in a single HARQ process in a single carrier, as shown by Hwang, thereby enabling a UE to maintain a single carrier property while acknowledging multiple TBs over the same channel.
Regarding claim 3,
The combination of Yeo, Lin, and Hwang discloses each TB in the set of TBs corresponds to a MAC PDU (Yeo: paragraph 89; Lin: paragraph 62).
Regarding claim 4,
The combination of Yeo, Lin, and Hwang discloses wherein the time unit comprises at least one of the following: TTI (paragraph 95), a slot (Fig. 1), a sub-frame (paragraph 62), or a mini slot.
Regarding claim 5,
The combination of Yeo, Lin, and Hwang discloses the frequency unit comprises at least one of the following: a subcarrier (Fig. 1), a resource block (RB) (Fig. 1), a subband (paragraph 60), a bandwidth part (BWP) (paragraph 69), or a carrier (paragraph 67).
Regarding claim 6,
The combination of Yeo, Lin, and Hwang discloses the same codeword comprises at least one of a first codeword or a second codeword (Yeo: paragraphs 155-157, Tables 2-3; Lin: paragraphs 116, 156, 172, 188, 212-225; two TBs to the same codeword).
Regarding claim 7,
The combination of Yeo, Lin, and Hwang discloses mapping policy of the n TBs for a resource comprises at least one of the following: mapping, according to a mapping sequence number of each TB, the n TBs in a time domain, and then in a frequency domain; mapping, according to the mapping sequence number of each TB, the n TBs in a frequency domain, and then in a time domain; or mapping, a TB corresponding to a second codeword according to the mapping sequence number of the TB corresponding to a first codeword in same time-frequency resource (Yeo: Fig. 11-13; paragraphs 155-157, Tables 2-3; Lin: paragraphs 116, 156, 172, 188, 212-225; two TBs belonging to the same codeword). See motivation above.
Regarding claim 8,
The combination of Yeo, Lin, and Hwang discloses the mapping sequence number of each TB in the n TBs comprises at least one of the following: an index of each TB (Yeo: paragraph 63, 83); a sequence number based on a priority level of each TB; a sequence number generated randomly for each TB (Yeo: paragraph 100).
Regarding claim 9,
The combination of Yeo, Lin, and Hwang discloses the priority level of each TB in the n TBs comprises at least one of the following: service demand from an upper layer; quality of service (QoS) from the upper layer; a repeat transmission number of each TB (Yeo: paragraph 46; importance of service; Lin: paragraphs 198-219). See motivation above.
Regarding claims 10,
The combination of Yeo, Lin, and Hwang discloses the first wireless device determines a TBS of each TB in the n TBs by determining, based on CSI, a number of REs (Fig. 1), a MCS (Fig. 11; Fig. 13, step 13-03; Fig. 14), a number of layers (paragraphs 154-157, Tables 2-3), calculating a total size based on the number of REs, the MCS, and the number of layers and determining the TBS of each TB in the n TBs based on the total size (paragraph 88, 108).
Regarding claim 12,
The combination of Yeo, Lin, and Hwang discloses receiving, by the second wireless device from the first wireless device, control information corresponding to the resource allocation of the set of TBs comprising at least one of the following: a resource space in a time-frequency domain for the set of TBs (Fig. 11-12); a resource indication in a frequency domain for the set of TBs (Fig. 14); a resource indication in a time domain for the set of TBs (paragraphs 154-157, Tables 2-3); an MCS for the n TBs (Fig. 11; Fig. 13, step 13-03; Fig. 14); spatial multiplexing information related to a number of layers for the set of TBs (paragraphs 154-157, Tables 2-3); power control information for the set of TBs (paragraph 66, 78); an identification (ID) number for the set of TBs (paragraphs 154-157, Tables 2-3); a resource mapping configuration for the set of TBs (paragraphs 154-157, Tables 2-3); a number of TBs in the n TBs (Fig. 13); a symbol position information in a time domain for each TB in the set of TBs (Fig. 1); or frequency position information in a frequency domain for each TB in the set of TBs (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 13,
The combination of Yeo, Lin, and Hwang discloses the second wireless device determines a TBS of each TB in the n TBs by receiving the control information corresponding to the resource allocation of the set of TBs (Yeo: Fig. 13, step 13-01; DCI); determining, in a HARQ process (Yeo: paragraph 29-40, 58, 75-77; Lin: paragraph 122), a number of REs, a MCS for the n TBs (Fig. 11; Fig. 13, step 13-03; Fig. 14), a number of layers (paragraphs 154-157, Tables 2-3); calculating a total size based on the number of REs, the MCS, and the number of layers and determining the TBS of each TB in the set of TBs based on the total size (paragraph 88, 108).
Regarding claims 11 and 15 (depending from claims 10 and 13, respectively),
The combination of Yeo, Lin, and Hwang discloses determining the TBS of each TB in the n TBs based on the total size comprises at least one of the following: determining the TBS of each TB as ceiling[T/n], wherein T is the total size, n is the number of TBs in the n TBs; determining the TBS of each TB as floor[T/n]; determining the TBS of each TB based on a pre-determined value (Yeo: paragraph 103) or table (Yeo: Tables 2-3).
Regarding claim 14,
The combination of Yeo, Lin, and Hwang discloses control information is transmitted via at least one of the following: DCI (Fig. 13, paragraph 133), RRC signaling (i.e. paragraph 83, 111), a high layer signaling (i.e. paragraph 33), a MAC CE (i.e. paragraph 89), or system information (all of the above). See also Lin (paragraph 62, 104).
Regarding claim 16,
The combination of Yeo, Lin, and Hwang discloses receiving, by the second wireless device, the control information from the first wireless device (Yeo: Fig. 13, step 13-01; DCI) and processing, by the second wireless device, the set of TBs based on the control information by at least one of the following: receiving data from the first wireless device based on the control information from the first wireless device; sending data to the first wireless device based on the control information from the first wireless device; sending data to a third wireless device based on the control information from the first wireless device; or receiving data from the third wireless device based on the control information from the first wireless device (Yeo: Fig. 13, steps 13-03-13-05/13-07 based on interpretation of MCS information carried in DCI).
Regarding claim 17,
The combination of Yeo, Lin, and Hwang discloses sending, by the second wireless device, feedback information to the first wireless device by at least one of the following: separately for each TB in the n TBs; together for the n TBs; for each code block (CB) in the n TBs; or for each code block group (CBG) in the n TBs (Lin: paragraphs 116, 156, 172, 188, 212-225; feedback corresponding to two TBs belonging to the same codeword compressed into the same bit). See motivation above.
Regarding claim 19,
The combination of Yeo, Lin, and Hwang discloses in response to the feedback information being same for each TB in the n TBs, sending the feedback information comprising a feedback indication for the n TBs (Lin: Lin: paragraphs 116, 156, 172, 188, 212-225; feedback corresponding to two TBs belonging to the same codeword compressed into the same bit), in response to each TB in the n TBs being received successfully, the feedback information comprises an acknowledgement (ACK) indication indicating each TB in the n TBs being received successfully and in response to each TB in the n TBs being received unsuccessfully, the feedback information comprises a NAK indication indicating each TB in n TBs being received unsuccessfully (Yeo: paragraph 58, 114; Lin: paragraphs 3, 70, 117-121, 129-133, 142, etc. explaining ACK/NACK). See motivation above.
Regarding claims 20 and 21,
The combination of Yeo, Lin, and Hwang discloses first wireless device is configured to schedule transmission of the set of TBs as at least one of the following: a base station; a MAC layer in a wireless device; a scheduling unit; a UE; an OBU; a RSU; or an IAB node (Yeo: Fig. 17, base station; Lin: Fig. 1, base station 120) and the second wireless device is configured to receive transmission of the set of TBs as at least one of the following: a UE or an IAB node (Yeo: Fig. 16, terminal; Lin: Fig. 1, UE 140).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the pending claims, as amended, have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection relies on newly-cited Hwang reference for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
4. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
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.
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/GREGORY B SEFCHECK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2477