CTNF 18/653,317 CTNF 94207 DETAILED ACTION Claim(s) 1-24 are presented for examination. Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Priority As required by M.P.E.P.201.14(c), acknowledgement is made to applicant’s claim for priority based on application(s) PCT/CN2022/107601 submitted on July 25 th , 2022 . Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on May 2 nd , 2024; November 14 th , 2024; October 9 th , 2025; and January 22 nd , 2026 follow the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. Claim Objections 07-29-01 AIA Claim (s) 1-24 are objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 1 recites “and / or” in line 4 . For clarity and consistency, it is suggested to use words ( i.e., and, or, etc.) without the slash “ / ”. Claims 7, 13 and 19 recite a similar limitation. Claim 13 recites a machine claim, “ A wireless communication apparatus ”, and the list of devices (i.e. a processor, a memory, etc.) in the preamble. The body of the claim recites the action steps: “ transmit ... communicate … ” performed by the wireless communication apparatus. For clarity and placing the claim into a proper machine claim, it is suggested to replace “ A wireless communication apparatus ” with “ A wireless communication apparatus comprising:” so that the aforementioned list of devices, are comprised by the wireless communication apparatus, which are performing these actions/steps ( see MPEP 2106.03, section I 1 ; MPEP 2173.05(p), section II 2 ). Claim 19 recites a similar limitation. Claim(s) 2-6, 8-12, 14-18 and 20-24 are also being objected for reciting a similar limitation or for being dependent on an objected base claim as set forth above . Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 U.S.C. § 103 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-23-aia AIA 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. 07-20-02-aia AIA 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 1-5, 7-11, 13-17 and 19-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over TANG (US 2021/0051662 A1) in view of BI et al. (US 2022/0174677 A1) hereinafter “BI” . Regarding Claims 1 and 13, Tang discloses a wireless communication apparatus comprising a processor and a memory storing instructions [see fig(s). 2 and 4, pg. 11, ¶175 lines 1-14, a network device or base station “10” including a processor “401” and a memory “404” storing location information] , which when executed by the processor causes the apparatus to [see fig(s). 2 and 4, pg. 11, ¶175 lines 1-14, during an implementation by the processor “401” initiating the base station “10” to] : transmit an indication of N regions in a resource grid defined by transmission resources in a frequency domain and/or time resources in a time domain [see fig. 2: Step “202”, pgs. 5-6, ¶77 lines 1-2; ¶78 lines 1-6; ¶79 lines 1-9, transmit indication information to the terminal device “20”, thereby explicitly indicating the location of the target resource configured to transmit the reference signal] ; and communicate using a reference signal according to the corresponding resource density [see fig. 2: Step “204”, pg. 10, ¶136 lines 1-2; ¶138 lines 1-4, after determining the target resource, transmit the reference signal or the reference channel corresponding to the reference signal to the terminal device “20” on the target resource] . Although Tang discloses transmitting an indication of N regions in a resource grid defined by transmission resources in a frequency domain and/or time resources in a time domain, Tang does not explicitly teach “ each of the N regions has a corresponding resource density indicative of a density of time-frequency resources configured for reference signal transmissions, wherein N is an integer greater than 1 ”. However BI discloses transmit an indication of N regions in a resource grid defined by transmission resources in a frequency domain and/or time resources in a time domain [see fig. 2: Step “203”, pg. 8, ¶78 lines 1-17; ¶80 lines 1-2; ¶81 lines 1-11, the second communication device determines the reserved resource through the foregoing step “201”, and determines the first information through the foregoing step “202”, and then sends the first information used to indicate the first resource pattern and the reserved resource determined by using the first resource pattern to the first communication device] , wherein each of the N regions has a corresponding resource density indicative of a density of time-frequency resources configured for reference signal transmissions [see fig. 2: Step “203”, pg. 8, ¶78 lines 1-17; ¶80 lines 1-2; ¶81 lines 1-11, the first resource pattern is used to determine the position corresponding to each of the “N” resource sets] , wherein N is an integer greater than 1 [see fig. 2: Step “203”, pg. 8, ¶78 lines 1-17; ¶80 lines 1-2; ¶81 lines 1-11, “N” is a positive integer greater than or equal to “1”] ; and communicate using a reference signal according to the corresponding resource density [see pgs. 12-13, ¶132 lines 1-11; ¶133 lines 1-10, after the first communication device determines the reserved resource indicated by the second communication device, the first communication device determines that a signal cannot be transmitted by using the reserved resource, where the signal includes one or more of the following signals: a reference signal, a cell-specific reference signal, … a sounding reference signal, and a demodulation reference signal, etc.] . Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include “each of the N regions has a corresponding resource density indicative of a density of time-frequency resources configured for reference signal transmissions, wherein N is an integer greater than 1” as taught by BI in the system of Tang for providing a resource indication method and a communication device, to reduce a waste of resources and reduce signaling overheads during resource indication [see BI, pg. 1, ¶8 lines 1-4] . Regarding Claims 2 and 14, Tang discloses the apparatus of claim 13. Tang does not explicitly teach wherein the apparatus is further caused to: “ configure, for each of the N regions, frequency resources in the frequency domain, wherein the frequency resources in the frequency domain are defined in units of resource blocks or resource block groups ”. However BI discloses configure [see pgs. 7-8, ¶75 lines 1-9, one resource set includes one or more resource units] , for each of the N regions [see pgs. 7-8, ¶75 lines 1-9, and the resource unit includes a time unit] , frequency resources in the frequency domain [see pgs. 7-8, ¶75 lines 1-9, for example, the time unit is a symbol, a slot, a subframe, or a frame] , wherein the frequency resources in the frequency domain are defined in units of resource blocks or resource block groups [see pgs. 7-8, ¶75 lines 1-9, the resource unit further includes frequency domain unit, for example, the frequency domain unit is a subcarrier, a resource block, or a narrowband] . Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include “configure, for each of the N regions, frequency resources in the frequency domain, wherein the frequency resources in the frequency domain are defined in units of resource blocks or resource block groups” as taught by BI in the system of Tang for the same motivation as set forth in claim 13. Regarding Claims 3 and 15, Tang discloses the apparatus of claim 14. Tang does not explicitly teach wherein, “ in a case that the time resources are not indicated for a particular region, the resource density corresponds to all time units of the particular region ”. However BI discloses in a case that the time resources are not indicated for a particular region [see pg. 10, ¶98 lines 1-13, when the first information indicates the sixth state] , the resource density corresponds to all time units of the particular region [see pg. 10, ¶98 lines 1-13, the first resource pattern indicates that the reserved resource does not exist in the N resource sets] . Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include “in a case that the time resources are not indicated for a particular region, the resource density corresponds to all time units of the particular region” as taught by BI in the system of Tang for the same motivation as set forth in claim 13. Regarding Claims 4 and 16, Tang discloses the apparatus of claim 14. Tang does not explicitly teach wherein the apparatus is further caused to: “ configure, for each of the N regions, time resources in the time domain, wherein the time resources are defined for each region in units of transmission symbols or time slots ”. However BI discloses configure [see pg. 10, ¶100 lines 1-10, in a case of different values of n] , for each of the N regions [see pg. 10, ¶100 lines 1-10, the value of the first position is determined separately] , time resources in the time domain [see pg. 10, ¶100 lines 1-10, and different values of the first position indicate different first resource patterns] , wherein the time resources are defined for each region in units of transmission symbols or time slots [see pg. 10, ¶100 lines 1-10, and a quantity of resource patterns is far less than a quantity of time domain symbols] . Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include “configure, for each of the N regions, time resources in the time domain, wherein the time resources are defined for each region in units of transmission symbols or time slots” as taught by BI in the system of Tang for the same motivation as set forth in claim 13. Regarding Claims 5 and 17, Tang discloses the apparatus of claim 13. Tang does not explicitly teach wherein “ resource densities of the N region are indicated using a scaling factor with respect to a resource density of a reference region ”. However BI discloses resource densities of the N region are indicated using a scaling factor with respect to a resource density of a reference region [see pg. 9, ¶90 lines 16-20, the offset value indicated by the first offset value is x symbols, and the 1 st symbol number of the reserved resource is mod({2, 8}+14n+x, 70), where n=0, 1, 2, or 3, or n=0 or 1, where mod(a, b) is a modulo operation, and a result is a remainder of a divided by b] . Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include “resource densities of the N region are indicated using a scaling factor with respect to a resource density of a reference region” as taught by BI in the system of Tang for the same motivation as set forth in claim 13. Regarding Claims 7 and 19, Tang discloses a wireless communication apparatus comprising a processor and a memory storing instructions [see fig(s). 2 and 7, pg. 13, ¶233 lines 1-10, a terminal device “20” or “700” including a processor “701” and a memory “704” configured to store a code] , which when executed by the processor causes the apparatus to [see fig(s). 2 and 7, pg. 13, ¶233 lines 1-10, during an implementation by the processor “701” initiating the terminal “20” to] : receive an indication of N regions in a resource grid defined by transmission resources in a frequency domain and/or time resources in a time domain [see fig. 2: Step “202”, pgs. 5-6, ¶77 lines 1-2; ¶78 lines 1-6; ¶79 lines 1-9, a base station “10” transmits indication information to the terminal device “20”, thereby explicitly indicating the location of the target resource configured to transmit the reference signal] ; and communicate using a reference signal according to the corresponding resource density [see fig. 2: Step “204”, pg. 10, ¶136 lines 1-2; ¶138 lines 1-4, after determining the target resource, the base station “10” transmits the reference signal or the reference channel corresponding to the reference signal to the terminal device “20” on the target resource] . Although Tang discloses transmitting an indication of N regions in a resource grid defined by transmission resources in a frequency domain and/or time resources in a time domain, Tang does not explicitly teach “ each of the N regions has a corresponding resource density indicative of a density of time-frequency resources configured for reference signal transmissions, wherein N is an integer greater than 1 ”. However BI discloses receive an indication of N regions in a resource grid defined by transmission resources in a frequency domain and/or time resources in a time domain [see fig. 2: Step “203”, pg. 8, ¶78 lines 1-17; ¶80 lines 1-2; ¶81 lines 1-11, the second communication device determines the reserved resource through the foregoing step “201”, and determines the first information through the foregoing step “202”, and then sends the first information used to indicate the first resource pattern and the reserved resource determined by using the first resource pattern to the first communication device] , wherein each of the N regions has a corresponding resource density indicative of a density of time-frequency resources configured for reference signal transmissions [see fig. 2: Step “203”, pg. 8, ¶78 lines 1-17; ¶80 lines 1-2; ¶81 lines 1-11, the first resource pattern is used to determine the position corresponding to each of the “N” resource sets] , wherein N is an integer greater than 1 [see fig. 2: Step “203”, pg. 8, ¶78 lines 1-17; ¶80 lines 1-2; ¶81 lines 1-11, “N” is a positive integer greater than or equal to “1”] ; and communicate using a reference signal according to the corresponding resource density [see pgs. 12-13, ¶132 lines 1-11; ¶133 lines 1-10, after the first communication device determines the reserved resource indicated by the second communication device, the first communication device determines that a signal cannot be transmitted by using the reserved resource, where the signal includes one or more of the following signals: a reference signal, a cell-specific reference signal, … a sounding reference signal, and a demodulation reference signal, etc.] . Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include “each of the N regions has a corresponding resource density indicative of a density of time-frequency resources configured for reference signal transmissions, wherein N is an integer greater than 1” as taught by BI in the system of Tang for providing a resource indication method and a communication device, to reduce a waste of resources and reduce signaling overheads during resource indication [see BI, pg. 1, ¶8 lines 1-4] . Regarding Claims 8 and 20, Tang discloses the apparatus of claim 19. Tang does not explicitly teach wherein the apparatus is further caused to: “ configure, for each of the N regions, frequency resources in the frequency domain, wherein the frequency resources in the frequency domain are defined in units of resource blocks or resource block groups ”. However BI discloses configure [see pgs. 7-8, ¶75 lines 1-9, one resource set includes one or more resource units] , for each of the N regions [see pgs. 7-8, ¶75 lines 1-9, and the resource unit includes a time unit] , frequency resources in the frequency domain [see pgs. 7-8, ¶75 lines 1-9, for example, the time unit is a symbol, a slot, a subframe, or a frame] , wherein the frequency resources in the frequency domain are defined in units of resource blocks or resource block groups [see pgs. 7-8, ¶75 lines 1-9, the resource unit further includes frequency domain unit, for example, the frequency domain unit is a subcarrier, a resource block, or a narrowband] . Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include “configure, for each of the N regions, frequency resources in the frequency domain, wherein the frequency resources in the frequency domain are defined in units of resource blocks or resource block groups” as taught by BI in the system of Tang for the same motivation as set forth in claim 19. Regarding Claims 9 and 21, Tang discloses the apparatus of claim 20. Tang does not explicitly teach wherein, “ in a case that the time resources are not indicated for a particular region, the resource density corresponds to all time units of the particular region ”. However BI discloses in a case that the time resources are not indicated for a particular region [see pg. 10, ¶98 lines 1-13, when the first information indicates the sixth state] , the resource density corresponds to all time units of the particular region [see pg. 10, ¶98 lines 1- 13, the first resource pattern indicates that the reserved resource does not exist in the N resource sets] . Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include “in a case that the time resources are not indicated for a particular region, the resource density corresponds to all time units of the particular region” as taught by BI in the system of Tang for the same motivation as set forth in claim 19. Regarding Claims 10 and 22, Tang discloses the apparatus of claim 20. Tang does not explicitly teach wherein the apparatus is further caused to: “ configure, for each of the N regions, time resources in the time domain, wherein the time resources are defined for each region in units of transmission symbols or time slots ”. However BI discloses configure [see pg. 10, ¶100 lines 1-10, in a case of different values of n] , for each of the N regions [see pg. 10, ¶100 lines 1-10, the value of the first position is determined separately] , time resources in the time domain [see pg. 10, ¶100 lines 1-10, and different values of the first position indicate different first resource patterns] , wherein the time resources are defined for each region in units of transmission symbols or time slots [see pg. 10, ¶100 lines 1-10, and a quantity of resource patterns is far less than a quantity of time domain symbols] . Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include “configure, for each of the N regions, time resources in the time domain, wherein the time resources are defined for each region in units of transmission symbols or time slots” as taught by BI in the system of Tang for the same motivation as set forth in claim 19. Regarding Claims 11 and 23, Tang discloses the apparatus of claim 19. Tang does not explicitly teach wherein “ resource densities of the N region are indicated using a scaling factor with respect to a resource density of a reference region ”. However BI discloses resource densities of the N region are indicated using a scaling factor with respect to a resource density of a reference region [see pg. 9, ¶90 lines 16-20, the offset value indicated by the first offset value is x symbols, and the 1 st symbol number of the reserved resource is mod({2, 8}+14n+x, 70), where n=0, 1, 2, or 3, or n=0 or 1, where mod(a, b) is a modulo operation, and a result is a remainder of a divided by b] . Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include “resource densities of the N region are indicated using a scaling factor with respect to a resource density of a reference region” as taught by BI in the system of Tang for the same motivation as set forth in claim 19 . Allowable Subject Matter 07-43 Claims 6, 12, 18 and 24 is/are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Conclusion 07-96 AIA The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. United States Patent Application Publication: Zheng et al. (US 2014/0086085 A1); see fig(s). 1 & 2, pgs. 2-3, ¶24-¶36 . Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RUSHIL P SAMPAT whose telephone number is (469) 295-9141. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon-Fri (8 AM - 5 PM). Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ian Moore can be reached on (571) 272-3085. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see https://ppair-my.uspto.gov/pair/PrivatePair. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /RUSHIL P. SAMPAT/Primary Examiner- TC 2400, Art Unit 2469 Application/Control Number: 18/653,317 Page 2 Art Unit: 2469 Application/Control Number: 18/653,317 Page 3 Art Unit: 2469 Application/Control Number: 18/653,317 Page 4 Art Unit: 2469 Application/Control Number: 18/653,317 Page 5 Art Unit: 2469 Application/Control Number: 18/653,317 Page 6 Art Unit: 2469 Application/Control Number: 18/653,317 Page 7 Art Unit: 2469 Application/Control Number: 18/653,317 Page 8 Art Unit: 2469 Application/Control Number: 18/653,317 Page 9 Art Unit: 2469 Application/Control Number: 18/653,317 Page 10 Art Unit: 2469 Application/Control Number: 18/653,317 Page 11 Art Unit: 2469 Application/Control Number: 18/653,317 Page 12 Art Unit: 2469 Application/Control Number: 18/653,317 Page 13 Art Unit: 2469 1 A machine is a "concrete thing, consisting of parts, or of certain devices and combination of devices." Digitech, 758 F.3d at 1348-49, 111 USPQ2d at 1719 (quoting Burr v. Duryee, 68 U.S. 531, 570, 17 L. Ed. 650, 657 (1863)). This category "includes every mechanical device or combination of mechanical powers and devices to perform some function and produce a certain effect or result." Nuijten, 500 F.3d at 1355, 84 USPQ2d at 1501 (quoting Corning v. Burden, 56 U.S. 252, 267, 14 L. Ed. 683, 690 (1854)). 2 IPXL Holdings v. Amazon.com, Inc., 430 F.3d 1377, 1384, 77 USPQ2d 1140, 1145 (Fed. Cir. 2005)
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