DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
2. Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. PCT/CN2022/111793, filed on August 11, 2022, that claims foreign priority to 202111309111.7, filed on November 5, 2021.
Information Disclosure Statement
3. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on July 9, 2026, was filed before the mailing of a final action. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Response to Arguments
4. Applicant's arguments, filed on July 1, 2026, with respect to the 35 U.S.C. 101 rejection of claims 17 and 20 have been considered and are persuasive. Rejections of claims 17 and 20 under 35 USC 101 have been withdrawn.
5. Applicant's arguments regarding rejection of claims 1-20 under 35 U.S.C. 102 and 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
A. § 102 rejection of claim 1
Regarding claim 1, as amended, applicant argues claim 1 is in condition for allowance, because applied references Kundu ‘731 (US 2021/0029731, “Kundu ‘731”), Jiang ‘999 (US 2024/0214999, “Jiang ‘999”), Ji ‘591 (US 2021/0360591, “Ji ‘591”), and Li ‘406 (US 2024/0251406, “Li ‘406”) do not disclose “the frequency hopping indication information is used to be indicative of disabling PUCCH frequency hopping for the first terminal,” “obtaining a starting position of a PUCCH according to bandwidth part (BWP) information for the first terminal and the PUCCH configuration information,” “the PUCCH configuration information comprises an information element parameter,” and “the information element parameter indicates that the PUCCH resource for the first terminal is fixedly configured at an upper edge or a lower edge of an initial uplink BWP for the first terminal with a certain offset” (See Remarks, page 9, lines 18-25, page 14, para 1-2).
First, applicant argues that Kundu ‘731 discloses that, with instar-slot frequency hopping disabled, the starting PRB position of PUCCH is obtained only according to the PUCCH configuration information, rather than disclosing that, with disabling PUCCH frequency hopping for the first terminal, the starting PRB position of the PUCCH is jointly obtained according to the BWP information for the first terminal and the PUCCH configuration information (See Remarks, page 9, para 28-29, page 10, para 1-3).
Examiner respectfully disagrees. In response to applicant's argument that the references fail to show certain features of the invention, it is noted that the features upon which applicant relies (i.e., the starting PRB position of the PUCCH is jointly obtained according to the BWP information for the first terminal and the PUCCH configuration information) are not recited in the rejected claim(s). Although the claims are interpreted in light of the specification, limitations from the specification are not read into the claims. See In re Van Geuns, 988 F.2d 1181, 26 USPQ2d 1057 (Fed. Cir. 1993). Further, examiner notes that Kundu ‘731 discloses that UE receives information about the PUCCH resource set configuration indicated through an index to a configuration row of Table 1, for transmission on PUCCH in an initial active UL BWP of a number of PRBs, where the number of PRBs is NBWP size, provided by SystemInformationBlockType1 (para 27-28, Table 1). Furthermore, examiner notes that Kundu ‘731 discloses that the PUCCH resource set configuration includes a PRB offset for the initial active UL BWP, where the PRB offset is RBBWP offset (para 27-28, Table 1). Thus, Kundu ‘731 discloses obtaining a starting position of the PUCCH resource set for the initial active UL BWP, according to NBWP size and RBBWP offset information and the PUCCH resource set configuration. Therefore, Kundu ‘731 discloses “obtaining a starting position of a PUCCH according to bandwidth part (BWP) information for the first terminal and the PUCCH configuration information.” Moreover, examiner notes Kundu ‘731 discloses that, in case of enhancements to PUCCH resource set configuration, UE receives additional parameters, including parameter “intra-slot frequency hopping” that indicates frequency hopping is disabled (para 77-85, Table 2). Therefore, Kundu ‘731 discloses “the frequency hopping indication information is used to be indicative of disabling PUCCH frequency hopping”.
Second, applicant argues that Kundu ‘731 discloses that the ith PRB index in the 1st and 2nd hops is obtained during the initial access phase with enabling frequency hopping, rather than disclosing that the starting position of PUCCH is obtained during the initial access phase with disabling PUCCH frequency hopping for the first terminal (See Remarks, page 10, para 4, page 11, para 1-3).
Examiner respectfully disagrees. In response to applicant's argument that the references fail to show certain features of the invention, it is noted that the features upon which applicant relies (i.e., the starting position of PUCCH is obtained during the initial access phase with disabling PUCCH frequency hopping) are not recited in the rejected claim(s). Although the claims are interpreted in light of the specification, limitations from the specification are not read into the claims. See In re Van Geuns, 988 F.2d 1181, 26 USPQ2d 1057 (Fed. Cir. 1993). Further, examiner notes that Kundu ‘731 discloses that UE receives information about the PUCCH resource set configuration indicated through an index to a configuration row of Table 1, for transmission on PUCCH in an initial active UL BWP of a number of PRBs, where the number of PRBs is NBWP size, provided by SystemInformationBlockType1 (para 27-28, Table 1). Furthermore, examiner notes that Kundu ‘731 discloses that the PUCCH resource set configuration includes a PRB offset for the initial active UL BWP, where the PRB offset is RBBWP offset (para 27-28, Table 1). Thus, Kundu ‘731 discloses obtaining a starting position of the PUCCH resource set for the initial active UL BWP, according to NBWP size and RBBWP offset information and the PUCCH resource set configuration. Therefore, Kundu ‘731 discloses “obtaining a starting position of a PUCCH according to bandwidth part (BWP) information for the first terminal and the PUCCH configuration information.” Moreover, examiner notes Kundu ‘731 discloses that, in case of enhancements to PUCCH resource set configuration, UE receives additional parameters, including parameter “intra-slot frequency hopping” that indicates frequency hopping is disabled (para 77-85, Table 2). Therefore, Kundu ‘731 discloses “the frequency hopping indication information is used to be indicative of disabling PUCCH frequency hopping”.
Three, applicant argues that applicant argues that Kundu ‘731 discloses that the starting position of PUCCH is obtained according to the PUCCH resource index, rather than disclosing “the starting position of PUCCH obtained according to the BWP information for the first terminal and the PUCCH configuration information with disabling PUCCH frequency hopping for the first terminal” and “the configuration related to the initial uplink BWP position according to the PUCCH resource for the first terminal determined by the starting position of PUCCH” (See Remarks, page 11, para 4-5, page 12, para 1-2).
Examiner respectfully disagrees. Examiner notes that In response to applicant's argument that the references fail to show certain features of the invention, it is noted that the features upon which applicant relies (i.e., “the starting position of PUCCH obtained according to the BWP information for the first terminal and the PUCCH configuration information with disabling PUCCH frequency hopping for the first terminal” and “the configuration related to the initial uplink BWP position according to the PUCCH resource for the first terminal determined by the starting position of PUCCH”) are not recited in the rejected claim(s). Although the claims are interpreted in light of the specification, limitations from the specification are not read into the claims. See In re Van Geuns, 988 F.2d 1181, 26 USPQ2d 1057 (Fed. Cir. 1993). Further, examiner notes that Kundu ‘731 discloses that UE receives information about the PUCCH resource set configuration indicated through an index to a configuration row of Table 1, for transmission on PUCCH in an initial active UL BWP of a number of PRBs, where the number of PRBs is NBWP size, provided by SystemInformationBlockType1 (para 27-28, Table 1). Furthermore, examiner notes that Kundu ‘731 discloses that the PUCCH resource set configuration includes a PRB offset for the initial active UL BWP, where the PRB offset is RBBWP offset (para 27-28, Table 1). Thus, Kundu ‘731 discloses obtaining a starting position of the PUCCH resource set for the initial active UL BWP, according to NBWP size and RBBWP offset information and the PUCCH resource set configuration. Therefore, Kundu ‘731 discloses “obtaining a starting position of a PUCCH according to bandwidth part (BWP) information for the first terminal and the PUCCH configuration information.” Moreover, examiner notes Kundu ‘731 discloses that, in case of enhancements to PUCCH resource set configuration, UE receives additional parameters, including parameter “intra-slot frequency hopping” that indicates frequency hopping is disabled (para 77-85, Table 2). Therefore, Kundu ‘731 discloses “the frequency hopping indication information is used to be indicative of disabling PUCCH frequency hopping”. Moreover, examiner notes that Kundu ‘731 discloses “wherein the PUCCH configuration information comprises an information element parameter” (Tables 1 and 2, para 26-30 and 77-85; in case of enhancements to PUCCH resource sets, UE receives information about PUCCH resource set configuration through an index to a row, as shown in Table 1, as well as additional parameters, as shown in Table 2). Finally, examiner note introduction of a new reference Chen ‘041 (US 2022/0061041, “Chen ‘041”), where Chen ‘041 discloses “the information element parameter indicates that the PUCCH resource for the first terminal is fixedly configured at an upper edge or a lower edge of an initial uplink BWP for the first terminal with a certain offset” (FIGS. 7 and 8, para 5, 44, 101, and 104; resources used for transmission of control information on a control channel are preconfigured to be fixed; resources are allocated so that resource blocks are positioned at the upper edge of a BWP with a PRB offset; examiner notes the use of alternative language; for rejection purposes, only one of the alternative limitations must be disclosed by prior art).
Fourth, applicant argues that Kundu ‘731 discloses that the starting position of the PUCCH is determined by the PUCCH resource index when enabling frequency hopping, rather than disclosing how to determine the starting position information of the PUCCH resource according to the indication of a parameter and that the specific position of the upper edge or lower edge of the initial uplink BWP for the first terminal is determined according to the information element parameter (See Remarks, page 12, para 3, page 13, para 1-2).
Examiner respectfully disagrees. Examiner notes that Kundu ‘731 discloses that UE receives information about the PUCCH resource set configuration indicated through an index to a configuration row of Table 1, for transmission on PUCCH in an initial active UL BWP of a number of PRBs, where the number of PRBs is NBWP size, provided by SystemInformationBlockType1 (para 27-28, Table 1). Further, examiner notes that Kundu ‘731 discloses that the PUCCH resource set configuration includes a PRB offset for the initial active UL BWP, where the PRB offset is RBBWP offset (para 27-28, Table 1). Thus, Kundu ‘731 discloses obtaining a starting position of the PUCCH resource set for the initial active UL BWP, according to NBWP size and RBBWP offset information and the PUCCH resource set configuration. Therefore, Kundu ‘731 discloses “obtaining a starting position of a PUCCH according to bandwidth part (BWP) information for the first terminal and the PUCCH configuration information.” Furthermore, examiner notes that Kundu ‘731 discloses “wherein the PUCCH configuration information comprises an information element parameter” (Tables 1 and 2, para 26-30 and 77-85; in case of enhancements to PUCCH resource sets, UE receives information about PUCCH resource set configuration through an index to a row, as shown in Table 1, as well as additional parameters, as shown in Table 2).
Moreover, examiner notes introduction of a new reference Chen ‘041 (US 2022/0061041, “Chen ‘041”), where Chen ‘041 discloses “the information element parameter indicates that the PUCCH resource for the first terminal is fixedly configured at an upper edge or a lower edge of an initial uplink BWP for the first terminal with a certain offset” (FIGS. 7 and 8, para 5, 44, 101, and 104; resources used for transmission of control information on a control channel are preconfigured to be fixed; resources are allocated so that resource blocks are positioned at the upper edge of a BWP with a PRB offset; examiner notes the use of alternative language; for rejection purposes, only one of the alternative limitations must be disclosed by prior art).
B. § 102 and § 103 rejections of claims 9 and 15
Regarding claims 9 and 15, as amended, applicant argues the claims are allowable by virtue of reciting similar features as those discussed with respect to claim 1. Relevant limitations claimed in claim 1 are discussed above. Applicant does not present arguments regarding additional limitations claimed in claims 9 and 15.
C. § 102 and § 103 rejections of claims 2-8, 10-14, and 16-20
Regarding claims 2-8, 10-14, and 16-20, applicant argues the claims are allowable by virtue of their dependencies from amended claims 1 and 9. Relevant limitations claimed in amended claims 1 and 9 are discussed above. Applicant does not present arguments regarding additional limitations claimed in dependent claims 2-8, 10-14, and 16-20.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
6. 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.
7. Claims 1, 3, 5, 7, and 15-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kundu ‘731 (US 2021/0029731, “Kundu ‘731”), in view of Chen ‘041 (US 2022/0061041, “Chen ‘041”).
Regarding claims 1 and 15-17, Kundu ‘731 discloses an electronic device (FIGS. 5 and 8, para 225-227 and 331; user equipment (UE)), comprising:
a memory, a processor and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor; wherein the processor, upon executing the computer program (FIG. 8, para 225-227; processor executes instructions stored on a memory), implements steps of:
receiving frequency hopping indication information and physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) configuration information, wherein the frequency hopping indication information is used to be indicative of disabling PUCCH frequency hopping (Tables 1 and 2, para 26-30 and 77-85; in case of enhancements to PUCCH resource sets, UE receives information about PUCCH resource set configuration through an index to a row, as shown in Table 1, as well as additional parameters, as shown in Table 2; one of the additional parameters is “intra-slot frequency hopping” that indicates that frequency hopping is disabled; thus, the UE receives frequency hopping indication information and PUCCH configuration information, where the frequency hopping indication information indicates that PUCCH frequency hopping is disabled);
obtaining a starting position of a PUCCH according to bandwidth part (BWP) information for the electronic device and the PUCCH configuration information (Tables 1 and 2, para 26-30 and 77-85; UE receives information about the PUCCH resource set configuration indicated through the index to a configuration, as shown in Table 1, and including first symbol information and PRB offset for the uplink BWP; thus, the UE obtains the starting position of the PUCCH resource set for the uplink BPW); and
determining a PUCCH resource according to the starting position of the PUCCH (Tables 1 and 2, para 26-30 and 77-85; UE receives information about the PUCCH resource set configuration indicated through the index to a configuration, as shown in Table 1, and including first symbol information; thus, the UE determines the PUCCH resource set according to the indicated starting position of the PUCCH resource set);
wherein the PUCCH configuration information comprises an information element parameter (Tables 1 and 2, para 26-30 and 77-85; in case of enhancements to PUCCH resource sets, UE receives information about PUCCH resource set configuration through an index to a row, as shown in Table 1, as well as additional parameters, as shown in Table 2).
However, Kundu ‘731 does not specifically disclose the information element parameter indicates that the PUCCH resource for the first terminal is fixedly configured at an upper edge or a lower edge of an initial uplink BWP for the first terminal with a certain offset.
Chen ‘041 teaches the information element parameter indicates that the PUCCH resource for the first terminal is fixedly configured at an upper edge or a lower edge of an initial uplink BWP for the first terminal with a certain offset (FIGS. 7 and 8, para 5, 44, 101, and 104; resources used for transmission of control information on a control channel are preconfigured to be fixed; resources are allocated so that resource blocks are positioned at the upper edge of a BWP with a PRB offset; examiner notes the use of alternative language; for rejection purposes, only one of the alternative limitations must be disclosed by prior art).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Kundu ‘731’s electronic device that receives frequency hopping indication information and PUCCH configuration information, to include Chen ‘041’s resources used for transmission of control information on a control channel that are preconfigured to be fixed. The motivation for doing so would have been to improve spectra efficiency (Chen ‘041, para 43).
Regarding claim 3, Kundu ‘731 in combination with Chen ‘041 discloses all the limitations with respect to claim 1, as outlined above.
Further, Kundu ‘731 discloses wherein the starting position of the PUCCH is a starting physical resource block (PRB) index of PUCCH transmission (Tables 1 and 2, para 26-30 and 77-85; the PUCCH resource set configuration indicated through the index to a configuration, as shown in Table 1, includes first symbol information, where the configuration supports a single-PRB format; thus, the index to the configuration is an index to a single PRB of a PUCCH transmission and to the starting position of the PUCCH).
Regarding claim 5, Kundu ‘731 in combination with Chen ‘041 discloses all the limitations with respect to claim 1, as outlined above.
Further, Kundu ‘731 discloses wherein the obtaining the starting position of the PUCCH according to the BWP information for the first terminal and the PUCCH configuration information, comprises:
obtaining an offset according to the PUCCH configuration information, and obtaining the starting position of the PUCCH according to the offset and the BWP information for the first terminal (Tables 1 and 2, para 26-30 and 77-85; UE receives information about the PUCCH resource set configuration indicated through the index to a configuration, as shown in Table 1, and including first symbol information and PRB offset for the uplink BWP; thus, the UE obtains the PRB offset, and obtains the starting position of the PUCCH and the PRB offset for the uplink BWP).
Regarding claim 7, Kundu ‘731 in combination with Chen ‘041 discloses all the limitations with respect to claim 1, as outlined above.
Further, Kundu ‘731 discloses, wherein the determining the PUCCH resource for the first terminal according to the starting position of the PUCCH, comprises:
configuring the PUCCH resource for the first terminal in a target frequency band according to the starting position of the PUCCH (Tables 1 and 2, para 26-30 and 77-85; UE receives information about the PUCCH resource set configuration indicated through the index to a configuration, as shown in Table 1, and including first symbol information and PRB offset for the uplink BWP; thus, the PUCCH resource set for the uplink BPW is configured for the first symbol position of the PUCCH).
8. Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kundu ‘731, in view of Chen ‘041, further in view of Jiang ‘999 (US 2024/0214999, “Jiang ‘999”), and further in view of Chang ‘080 (US 2012/0207080, “Chang ‘080”).
Regarding claim 2, Kundu ‘731 in combination with Chen ‘041 discloses all the limitations with respect to claim 1, as outlined above.
Further, Kundu ‘731 discloses the initial uplink BWP for the first terminal (para 26-30; UE transmits HARQ-ACK information on the PUCCH in an initial uplink BWP).
Although Kundu ‘731 in combination with Chen ‘041 discloses the initial uplink BWP for the first terminal, Kundu ‘731 in combination with Chen ‘041 does not specifically disclose wherein the BWP information comprises at least one of: starting position information of an initial uplink BWP; and end position information of the initial uplink BWP.
Jiang ‘999 teaches wherein the BWP information comprises one of: starting position information of the initial uplink BWP; end position information of the initial uplink BWP (para 403; configuration information includes position of a starting PRB and position of an ending PRB in the BWP).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add features to the combined electronic device of Kundu ‘731 and Chen ‘041, to include Jiang ‘999’s configuration information that includes position of a starting PRB and position of an ending PRB in the BWP. The motivation for doing so would have been to address a problem of a reduction of resource utilization ratio and a long delay (Jiang ‘999, para 5).
However, Kundu ‘731 in combination with Chen ‘041 and Jiang ‘999 does not specifically disclose relative position information between the initial uplink BWP for the first terminal and an initial uplink BWP for a second terminal.
Chang ‘080 teaches relative position information between the initial uplink BWP for the first terminal and an initial uplink BWP for a second terminal (FIG. 2, para 31-32; frequency offset is a difference between the operating wireless channel frequency of the first terminal and the operating wireless channel frequency of the second terminal).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add features to the combined electronic device of Kundu ‘731, Chen ‘041, and Jiang ‘999, to include Chang ‘080’s frequency offset that is a difference between the operating wireless channel frequency of the first terminal and the operating wireless channel frequency of the second terminal. The motivation for doing so would have been to enable a reception terminal to receive data without distortion (Chang ‘080, para 4-5).
9. Claims 4 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kundu ‘731, in view of Chen ‘041, and further in view of Ji ‘591 (US 2021/0360591, “Ji ‘591”).
Regarding claim 4, Kundu ‘731 in combination with Chen ‘041 discloses all the limitations with respect to claim 1, as outlined above.
Further, Kundu ‘731 discloses wherein the obtaining the starting position of the PUCCH according to the BWP information for the first terminal and the PUCCH configuration information, comprises:
obtaining the starting position of the PUCCH according to the BWP information for the first terminal and the PUCCH resource index (Tables 1 and 2, para 26-30 and 77-85; UE receives information about the PUCCH resource set configuration indicated through the index to a configuration, as shown in Table 1, and including first symbol information and PRB offset for the uplink BWP; thus, the UE obtains the starting position of the PUCCH resource set for the uplink BPW according to the BWP information and the PUCCH resource set configuration index).
However, Kundu ‘731 in combination with Chen ‘041 does not specifically disclose obtaining a PUCCH resource index according to downlink control information (DCI) and a control channel element (CCE) in the PUCCH configuration information.
Ji ‘591 teaches obtaining a PUCCH resource index according to downlink control information (DCI) and a control channel element (CCE) in the PUCCH configuration information (para 61-62; PUCCH configuration resource is determined according to DCI and CCE of DCI).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add features to the combined electronic device of Kundu ‘731 and Chen ‘041, to include Ji ‘591’s PUCCH configuration resource that is determined according to DCI and CCE of DCI. The motivation for doing so would have been to provide a mechanism to select, by a UE, a correct PUCCH for transmitting uplink control information (Ji ‘591, para 10).
Regarding claim 6, Kundu ‘731 in combination with Chen ‘041 discloses all the limitations with respect to claim 5, as outlined above.
Further, Kundu ‘731 discloses wherein the obtaining the offset according to the PUCCH configuration information, comprises:
obtaining a first offset according to the PUCCH configuration information (Tables 1 and 2, para 26-30 and 77-85; UE receives information about the PUCCH resource set configuration indicated through the index to a configuration, as shown in Table 1, and including the PRB offset for the uplink BWP; thus, the UE obtains the PRB offset according to the PUCCH resource set configuration index);
wherein the first offset is determined according to a common PUCCH resource set in the PUCCH configuration information (Tables 1 and 2, para 26-30 and 77-85; UE receives information about the PUCCH resource set configuration indicated through the index to a configuration, as shown in Table 1, and including the PRB offset for the uplink BWP; different PUCCH resource set configurations of Table 1 support a single-PRB format; thus, the PRB offset is according to a common PUCCH resource set format in the PUCCH resource set configuration).
Although Kundu ‘731 in combination with Chen ‘041 discloses obtaining a first offset according to the PUCCH configuration information; wherein the first offset is determined according to a common PUCCH resource set in the PUCCH configuration information, Kundu ‘731 in combination with Chen ‘041 does not specifically disclose obtaining a second offset according to the PUCCH configuration information; and the second offset is determined according to DCI and a CCE in the PUCCH configuration information.
Ji ‘591 teaches obtaining a second offset according to the PUCCH configuration information; and the second offset is determined according to DCI and a CCE in the PUCCH configuration information (para 61-62; PUCCH configuration resource is determined according to DCI, resource offset indication information carried in the DCI, and CCE of the DCI).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add features to the combined electronic device of Kundu ‘731 and Chen ‘041, to include Ji ‘591’s PUCCH configuration resource that is determined according to DCI and CCE of DCI. The motivation for doing so would have been to provide a mechanism to select, by a UE, a correct PUCCH for transmitting uplink control information (Ji ‘591, para 10).
10. Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kundu ‘731, in view of Chen ‘041, and further in view of Li ‘406 (US 2024/0251406, “Li ‘406”).
Regarding claim 8, Kundu ‘731 in combination with Chen ‘041 discloses all the limitations with respect to claim 1, as outlined above.
However, Kundu ‘731 in combination with Chen ‘041 does not specifically disclose wherein the first terminal is a reduced capability (RedCap) terminal.
Li ‘406 teaches wherein the first terminal is a reduced capability (RedCap) terminal (para 157; RedCap terminal).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add features to the combined electronic device of Kundu ‘731 and Chen ‘041, to include Li ‘406’s RedCap terminal. The motivation for doing so would have been to address a problem of how to avoid system resource fragmentation when terminal devices with different capabilities coexist (Li ‘406, para 5).
11. Claims 9-14 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kundu ‘731, in view of Chen ‘041, and further in view of Jiang ‘999.
Regarding claim 9, Kundu ‘731 discloses a resource determining method, comprising:
sending frequency hopping indication information and physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) configuration information, wherein the frequency hopping indication information is used to be indicative of disabling PUCCH frequency hopping for a first terminal (Tables 1 and 2, para 26-30 and 77-85; in case of enhancements to PUCCH resource sets, UE receives information about PUCCH resource set configuration through an index to a row, as shown in Table 1, as well as additional parameters, as shown in Table 2; one of the additional parameters is “intra-slot frequency hopping” that indicates that frequency hopping is disabled; thus, the frequency hopping indication information and PUCCH configuration information are sent to the UE, where the frequency hopping indication information indicates that PUCCH frequency hopping is disabled);
sending first bandwidth part (BWP) information for the first terminal; determining a starting position of a PUCCH according to the first BWP information for the first terminal and the PUCCH configuration information; and determining a PUCCH resource for the first terminal according to the starting position of the PUCCH (Tables 1 and 2, para 26-30 and 77-85; UE receives indication about the PUCCH resource set configuration indicated through the index to a configuration, as shown in Table 1, and including first symbol information and PRB offset information for the uplink BWP; thus, the UE receives and determines the PRB offset information for the uplink BWP, receives the index indication that indicates the PRB offset information for the uplink BWP, receives the starting position of the PUCCH as indicated by the index indication, and receives the PUCCH resource set configuration with the starting position of the PUCCH);
wherein the PUCCH configuration information comprises an information element parameter (Tables 1 and 2, para 26-30 and 77-85; in case of enhancements to PUCCH resource sets, UE receives information about PUCCH resource set configuration through an index to a row, as shown in Table 1, as well as additional parameters, as shown in Table 2).
However, Kundu ‘731 does not specifically disclose the information element parameter indicates that the PUCCH resource for the first terminal is fixedly configured at an upper edge or a lower edge of an initial uplink BWP for the first terminal with a certain offset.
Chen ‘041 teaches the information element parameter indicates that the PUCCH resource for the first terminal is fixedly configured at an upper edge or a lower edge of an initial uplink BWP for the first terminal with a certain offset (FIGS. 7 and 8, para 5, 44, 101, and 104; resources used for transmission of control information on a control channel are preconfigured to be fixed; resources are allocated so that resource blocks are positioned at the upper edge of a BWP with a PRB offset; examiner notes the use of alternative language; for rejection purposes, only one of the alternative limitations must be disclosed by prior art).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Kundu ‘731’s resource determining method comprising sending frequency hopping indication information and PUCCH configuration information, to include Chen ‘041’s resources used for transmission of control information on a control channel that are preconfigured to be fixed. The motivation for doing so would have been to improve spectra efficiency (Chen ‘041, para 43).
Although Kundu ‘731 in combination with Chen ‘041 discloses sending first bandwidth part (BWP) information for the first terminal, Kundu ‘731 in combination with Chen ‘041 does not specifically disclose sending second BWP information for a second terminal.
Jiang ‘999 teaches sending second BWP information for a second terminal (FIG. 4, para 40, 48-49, 263-264, and 403; an information block is transmitted to indicate configuration information for a communication device; the configuration information includes position of a starting PRB and position of an ending PRB in the BWP; thus, BWP information for a communication device is transmitted using information block signaling).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add features to the combined resource determining method of Kundu ‘731 and Chen ‘041, to include Jiang ‘999’s configuration information that includes position of a starting PRB and position of an ending PRB in the BWP. The motivation for doing so would have been to address a problem of a reduction of resource utilization ratio and a long delay (Jiang ‘999, para 5).
Regarding claim 10, Kundu ‘731 in combination with Chen ‘041 and Jiang ‘999 discloses all the limitations with respect to claim 9, as outlined above.
Further, Kundu ‘731 discloses wherein the first BWP information for the first terminal comprises:
position information of the initial uplink BWP for the first terminal (Tables 1 and 2, para 26-30 and 77-85; UE receives indication about the PUCCH resource set configuration indicated through the index to a configuration, as shown in Table 1, and including first symbol information and PRB offset for the uplink BWP; UE transmits HARQ-ACK information on the PUCCH in an initial uplink BWP; thus, BWP information for the UE includes position information for the initial uplink BWP).
Regarding claim 11, Kundu ‘731 in combination with Chen ‘041 and Jiang ‘999 discloses all the limitations with respect to claim 9, as outlined above.
Further, Kundu ‘731 discloses wherein the second BWP information for the second terminal comprises: position information of an initial uplink BWP for the second terminal (Tables 1 and 2, para 26-30 and 77-85; UE receives indication about the PUCCH resource set configuration indicated through the index to a configuration, as shown in Table 1, and including first symbol information and PRB offset for the uplink BWP; UE transmits HARQ-ACK information on the PUCCH in an initial uplink BWP; thus, BWP information for the UE includes position information for the initial uplink BWP).
Regarding claim 12, Kundu ‘731 in combination with Chen ‘041 and Jiang ‘999 discloses all the limitations with respect to claim 9, as outlined above.
Further, Kundu ‘731 discloses wherein the starting position of the PUCCH is a starting physical resource block (PRB) index of PUCCH transmission (Tables 1 and 2, para 26-30 and 77-85; the PUCCH resource set configuration indicated through the index to a configuration, as shown in Table 1, includes first symbol information, where the configuration supports a single-PRB format; thus, the index to the configuration is an index to a single PRB of a PUCCH transmission and to the starting position of the PUCCH).
Regarding claim 13, Kundu ‘731 in combination with Chen ‘041 and Jiang ‘999 discloses all the limitations with respect to claim 9, as outlined above.
Further, Kundu ‘731 discloses wherein the information element parameter is predefined by system information block (SIB) (Tables 1 and 2, para 26-30 and 77-85; UE receives indication about the PUCCH resource set configuration indicated through the index to a configuration, as shown in Table 1, where the index is provided by system information block type 1).
Regarding claim 14, Kundu ‘731 in combination with Chen ‘041 and Jiang ‘999 discloses all the limitations with respect to claim 9, as outlined above.
Further, Kundu ‘731 discloses wherein the determining the PUCCH resource for the first terminal according to the starting position of the PUCCH, comprises:
configuring the PUCCH resource for the first terminal in a target frequency band according to the starting position of the PUCCH (Tables 1 and 2, para 26-30 and 77-85; UE receives information about the PUCCH resource set configuration indicated through the index to a configuration, as shown in Table 1, and including first symbol information and PRB offset for the uplink BWP; thus, the PUCCH resource set for the uplink BPW is configured for the first symbol position of the PUCCH).
Regarding claims 18-20, Kundu ‘731 in combination with Chen ‘041 and Jiang ‘999 discloses all the limitations with respect to claim 9, as outlined above.
Further, Kundu ‘731 discloses an electronic device (FIGS. 5 and 8, para 225-227; infrastructure equipment), comprising:
a memory, a processor and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor; wherein the processor, upon executing the computer program (FIG. 8, para 225-227; processor executes instructions stored on a memory), implements the resource determining method according to claim 9.
Conclusion
Internet Communication
Applicant is encouraged to submit a written authorization for Internet communications (PTO/SB/439, https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/sb0439.pdf) in the instant patent application to authorize the examiner to communicate with the applicant via email. The authorization will allow the examiner to better practice compact prosecution. The written authorization can be submitted via one of the following methods only. (1) Central Fax which can be found in the Conclusion section of this Office action; (2) regular postal mail; (3) EFS WEB; or (4) the service window on the Alexandria campus. EFS web is the recommended way to submit the form since this allows the form to be entered into the file wrapper within the same day (system dependent). Written authorization submitted via other methods, such as direct fax to the examiner or email, will not be accepted. See MPEP § 502.0.
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 extension fee 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 date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NEVENA SANDHU whose telephone number is (571) 272-0679. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday 9AM-5PM EST, Friday variable.
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, Michael Thier can be reached on (571)272-2832. 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 http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. 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.
/NEVENA ZECEVIC SANDHU/Examiner, Art Unit 2474
/Michael Thier/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2474
Prosecution Insights