DETAILED ACTION
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The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
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Claims 1-20 rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-18 of U.S. Patent No. 11991561. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because the claims in patent 11991561 anticipated the claims of the instant application as shown below.
Instant application
Patent 11991561
1. A method comprising: receiving, at a first wireless communication device from a second wireless communication device, a first reservation signal that identifies a priority of data and one or more resources being reserved by the second wireless communication device for future data transmissions; receiving, at the first wireless communication device from a third wireless communication device, a second reservation signal that identifies another priority of data and at least one resource that is the same as a resource that was identified in the first reservation signal; and transmitting, from the first wireless communication device, a signal to the third wireless communication device, the signal based, at least partially, on the first reservation signal and containing information upon which the third wireless communication devices may determine whether to transmit data within the one or more resources.
1. A method comprising: receiving, at a first wireless communication device that is a node of a vehicle ad-hoc network (VANET) from a second wireless communication device that is another node of the VANET, a first reservation signal that identifies one or more time-slots that have been reserved by the second wireless communication device for data transmissions within the VANET; receiving, at the first wireless communication device from a third wireless communication device that is another node of the VANET, a second reservation signal that identifies at least one time-slot that is the same as a time-slot that was identified in the first reservation signal; determining that data to be transmitted by the second wireless communication device has a higher priority than data to be transmitted by the third wireless communication device; and transmitting, from the first wireless communication device, a forwarded reservation signal that identifies the one or more time-slots that have been reserved by the second wireless communication device for data transmissions within the VANET, the forwarded reservation signal based, at least partially, on the first reservation signal and containing information upon which one or more additional wireless communication devices may determine whether to transmit data within the one or more time-slots identified in the forwarded reservation signal.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first reservation signal is not received over the one or more resources.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the forwarded reservation signal comprises: transmitting the forwarded reservation signal if a received power value of the first reservation signal is within a pre-defined received power range.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more resources have been determined to be available by the second wireless communication device.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more time-slots are identified in a control channel of the first reservation signal.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the signal comprises: transmitting the signal in response to a received power value of the first reservation signal being within a pre-defined received power range.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the forwarded reservation signal comprises: transmitting the forwarded reservation signal if a received power value of the first reservation signal is within a pre-defined received power range.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the signal comprises: transmitting the signal in response to the first wireless communication device being within a geographical distance from the second wireless communication device.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the forwarded reservation signal comprises: transmitting the forwarded reservation signal if the first wireless communication device is within a geographical distance from the second wireless communication device.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein a physical format of the first reservation signal is hard coded.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein a physical format of the first reservation signal is hard coded.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein a physical format of the first reservation signal is configured via higher layer signaling.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein a physical format of the first reservation signal is configured via higher layer signaling.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more resources are identified in a control channel of the first reservation signal.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more time-slots are identified in a control channel of the first reservation signal.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more resources are identified in a control channel of the signal transmitted from the first wireless communication device.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more time-slots are identified in a control channel of the forwarded reservation signal.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first reservation signal is received in a first portion of a 5G New Radio (NR) slot and the signal is transmitted in a second portion of the 5G NR slot.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first reservation signal is received in a first portion of a 5G New Radio (NR) slot and the forwarded reservation signal is transmitted in a second portion of the 5G NR slot.
11. A first wireless communication comprising: a receiver configured to: receive, from a second wireless communication, a first reservation signal that identifies a priority of data and one or resources being reserved by the second wireless communication device for future data transmissions, and receive, from a third wireless communication device, a second reservation signal that identifies another priority of data and at least one resource that is the same as a resource that was identified in the first reservation signal; and a transmitter configured to transmit a signal to the third wireless communication device, the signal based, at least partially, on the first reservation signal and containing information upon which the third wireless communication devices may determine whether to transmit data within the one or more resources.
10. A first wireless communication device that is a node of a vehicle ad-hoc network (VANET), the first wireless communication device comprising: a receiver configured to: receive, from a second wireless communication device that is another node of the VANET, a first reservation signal that identifies one or more time-slots that have been reserved by the second wireless communication device for data transmissions within the VANET, and receive, from a third wireless communication device that is another node of the VANET, a second reservation signal that identifies at least one time-slot that is the same as a time-slot that was identified in the first reservation signal; a controller configured to determine that data to be transmitted by the second wireless communication device has a higher priority than data to be transmitted by the third wireless communication device; and a transmitter configured to transmit a forwarded reservation signal that identifies the one or more time-slots that have been reserved by the second wireless communication device for data transmissions within the VANET, the forwarded reservation signal based, at least partially, on the first reservation signal and containing information upon which one or more additional wireless communication devices may determine whether to transmit data within the one or more time-slots identified in the forwarded reservation signal.
12. The first wireless communication device of claim 11, wherein the reservation signal is not received over the one or more resources.
11. The first wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the forwarded reservation signal if a received power value of the first reservation signal is within a pre-defined received power range.
13. The first wireless communication device of claim 11, wherein the one or more resources have been determined to be available by the second wireless communication device.
15. The first wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein the one or more time-slots are identified in a control channel of the first reservation signal.
14. The first wireless communication device of claim 11, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the signal in response to a received power value of the first reservation signal being within a pre-defined received power range.
11. The first wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the forwarded reservation signal if a received power value of the first reservation signal is within a pre-defined received power range.
15. The first wireless communication device of claim 11, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the signal in response to the first wireless communication device being within a geographical distance from the second wireless communication device.
12. The first wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the forwarded reservation signal if first wireless communication device is within a geographical distance from the second wireless communication device.
16. The first wireless communication device of claim 11, wherein a physical format of the first reservation signal is hard coded.
13. The first wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein a physical format of the first reservation signal is hard coded.
17. The first wireless communication device of claim 11, wherein a physical format of the first reservation signal is configured via higher layer signaling.
14. The first wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein a physical format of the first reservation signal is configured via higher layer signaling.
18. The first wireless communication device of claim 11, wherein the one or more resources are identified in a control channel of the first reservation signal.
15. The first wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein the one or more time-slots are identified in a control channel of the first reservation signal.
19. The first wireless communication device of claim 11, wherein the one or more resources are identified in a control channel of signal transmitted from the first wireless communication device.
16. The first wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein the one or more time-slots are identified in a control channel of the forwarded reservation signal.
20. The first wireless communication device of claim 11, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive the first reservation signal in a first portion of a 5G New Radio (NR) slot, and the transmitter is further configured to transmit the forwarded reservation signal in a second portion of the 5G NR slot.
17. The first wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive the first reservation signal in a first portion of a 5G New Radio (NR) slot, and the transmitter is further configured to transmit the forwarded reservation signal in a second portion of the 5G NR slot.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Lee et al. (US 2020/0280961 A1) – method for transmitting V2X message by terminal in wireless communication system
Freda et al. (US 2021/0105789 A1) – method for efficient resource usage between cooperative vehicles
Sun et al. (US 2021/0160849 A1) – methods providing resource selection for directional sidelink communications
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KENNETH T LAM whose telephone number is (571)270-1862. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30-5:00 PM.
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/KENNETH T LAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2631