DETAILED ACTION
This Office action is responsive to Applicant’s remarks submitted July 17, 2026. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . Claims 1-20 are currently pending.
Response to Arguments
With respect to the rejection under 35 USC 112(b), Applicant argues “there is no need for claim 1 to define the step of receiving the second signal since the second signal is recited for defining a different from the first signal… [sic]” (Remarks, pp. 8-9). The Examiner has carefully considered this point, but maintains it is unclear if the claim requires a step and/or functionality for receiving the second signal. This is because the claim recites the step of receiving a first signal, and further states that this signal is “different from a second signal from the network” (Claim 1, line 3). For this reason, Applicant’s argument is not persuasive.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the prior art of record have been carefully considered, but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection set forth below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claims 1-3, 10-12, 19, 20, and all dependent thereon, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claims 1, 10, 19, 20: the claims require the reception of a first signal, and further specify that this signal is different from “a second signal from the network device” (claim 1, line 3). It is unclear if the claim requires a step and/or functionality for receiving the second signal. For purposes of examination, the limitation is interpreted to require a step and/or functionality for receiving the second signal.
Regarding claims 2, 3, 11, and 12: the claims specify “a second signal from the network device” (claim 2, lines 1-2; claim 3, lines 1-2). It is unclear if this signal is required to be the same signal introduced in claim 1 (line 3). For purposes of examination, the terms from claim 2 and 3 are interpreted as “[[a]] the second signal from the network device.”
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 & 103
5. In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
6. The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
7. 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.
8. The factual inquiries 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.
9. Claims 1, 2, 4-8, 10, 11, 13-17, 19, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(2) as anticipated by U.S. Publication No. 2021/0235380 A1 (hereinafter “Wang”) or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Wang, in view of one of: U.S. Publication No. 2020/0029302 A1 (hereinafter “Cox”), U.S. Publication No. 2018/0288705 A1 (hereinafter “Park”), or U.S. Publication No. 2021/0314866 A1 (hereinafter “Lee”).
Regarding claims 1, 10, 19, and 20: Wang teaches an information acquisition method, comprising: receiving, by a User Equipment (UE), a first signal from a network device, wherein the first signal is different from a second signal from the network device in at least one of a waveform or a multiple access scheme, and the first signal carries at least one type of information (see, e.g., [0082]-[0090]; an energy saving signal is detected first, followed by the PDCCH signal).
Wang does not explicitly state the said differences between the first and second signals. To the extent Wang does not inherently teach at least one of these differences (by virtue of the received signal properties – note, for instance, [0076]-[0082]), these features are nevertheless taught by Cox (see, e.g., [0175], [0217]-[0226]; note the waveform of the first signal is differentiated). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the application to incorporate features from the system of Cox, such as the signal and/or receiver functionality, within the system of Wang, in order to further improve power conservation.
Alternatively to Cox, the said features are taught by Park (see, e.g., [0033], [0034]). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the application to incorporate features from the system of Park, such as the signal and/or receiver functionality, within the system of Wang, in order to further improve power conservation.
Alternatively to Cox and Park, the said features are taught by Lee (see, e.g., [0023], [0028]). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the application to incorporate features from the system of Lee, such as the signal and/or receiver functionality, within the system of Wang, in order to further improve power conservation.
The rationale set forth above regarding the method of claim 1 is applicable to the device, UE, and medium of claims 10, 19, and 20, respectively.
Regarding claims 2 and 11: Wang alternatively modified by Cox, Park, or Lee, further teaches wherein the first signal is different from a second signal from the network device in a modulation scheme, a modulation scheme of the first signal comprises any one of Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) modulation, Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) modulation or Binary Phase Shift Keying (2PSK) modulation, and a modulation scheme of the second signal comprises any one of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) modulation, Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) modulation or Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) (see, e.g., Wang [0076]-[0082]; Cox [0072], [0093], [0175], [0221]; Park [0033], [0034]; and/or Lee [0023], [0028]). The motivation for modification set forth above regarding claim 1 is applicable to claim 2.
The rationale set forth above regarding the method of claim 2 is applicable to the device of claim 11.
Regarding claims 4 and 13: Wang alternatively modified by Cox, Park, or Lee, further teaches wherein the first signal is different from a second signal from the network device in a coding scheme wherein a multiple access scheme of the first signal comprises any one of Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and a multiple access scheme of the second signal comprises any one of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) or Discrete Fourier Transform Spread Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (DFTS-OFDM) (see, e.g., Wang [0076]-[0082]; [0088], [0093]; Park [0033], [0034]; and/or Lee [0023], [0028]). The motivation for modification set forth above regarding claim 1 is applicable to claim 4.
The rationale set forth above regarding the method of claim 4 is applicable to the device of claim 13.
Regarding claims 5 and 14: Wang alternatively modified by Cox, Park, or Lee, further teaches wherein the first signal carries at least one of: physical layer control information, transmission indication information of a channel, transmission indication information of a signal, information of a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer or information of a Media Access Control (MAC) layer (see, e.g., Wang [0076]-[0082]; and/or Cox [0175], [0217]-[0226]). The motivation for modification set forth above regarding claim 1 is applicable to claim 5.
The rationale set forth above regarding the method of claim 5 is applicable to the device of claim 14.
Regarding claims 6 and 15: Wang alternatively modified by Cox, Park, or Lee, further teaches wherein the physical layer control information comprises at least one of: update information of a system message, indication information of an Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System (ETWS), indication information of a Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS), information of stopping paging monitoring, request information of Channel State Information (CSI), CSI triggering state information, a Transmission Power Control (TPC) command of a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) or a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), a TPC command of a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), an SRS request, indication information of cancelling an uplink transmission, or non-transmission indication information of a target resource (see, e.g., Wang [0076]-[0082]; and/or Cox [0119]-[0122], [0128]). The motivation for modification set forth above regarding claim 1 is applicable to claim 6.
The rationale set forth above regarding the method of claim 6 is applicable to the device of claim 15.
Regarding claims 7 and 16: Wang alternatively modified by Cox, Park, or Lee, further teaches wherein the transmission indication information of the channel comprises transmission indication information of at least one of: a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), or a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), wherein the transmission indication information of the PDCCH comprises: reception indication information of the PDCCH, the reception indication information of the PDCCH being configured to indicate the UE to detect the PDCCH on a target monitoring occasion or a monitoring occasion set (see, e.g., Wang [0076]-[0082]; and/or Cox [0125]-[0126], [0193]; a PDCCH to monitor is indicated). The motivation for modification set forth above regarding claim 1 is applicable to claim 7.
The rationale set forth above regarding the method of claim 7 is applicable to the device of claim 16.
Regarding claims 8 and 17: Wang alternatively modified by Cox, Park, or Lee, further teaches wherein the reception indication information of the PDCCH being configured to indicate the UE to detect the PDCCH on the target monitoring occasion or the monitoring occasion set comprises: the reception indication information of the PDCCH being configured to indicate the UE to detect the PDCCH on a monitoring occasion or a monitoring occasion set of a target PDCCH search space (see, e.g., Wang [0076]-[0082]; and/or Cox [0125]-[0126], [0193]; a PDCCH to monitor is indicated). The motivation for modification set forth above regarding claim 1 is applicable to claim 8.
The rationale set forth above regarding the method of claim 8 is applicable to the device of claim 17.
10. Claims 3 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang, alternatively in view of one of Cox, Park, or Lee, and in further view of U.S. Publication No. 2024/0275532 A1 (hereinafter “Luo”).
Regarding claims 3 and 12: Wang alternatively modified by Cox, Park, or Lee does not explicitly state the alternative features wherein a coding scheme of the first signal comprises any one of Non-Return-to-Zero code, Manchester code, unipolar return to zero code, differential binary phase code, Miller code or differential code, and a coding scheme of the second signal comprises any one of Reed-Muller (RM) code, Tail-biting Convolutional Code (TBCC), Turbo code, outer code, Low Density Parity Check Code (LDPC) or Polar code. However, these features are taught by Luo (see, e.g., [0155], [0193]). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the application to incorporate features from the system of Luo, such as the signal and/or receiver functionality, within the system of Wang alternatively modified by Cox, Park, or Lee, in order to differentiate signal complexity.
The rationale set forth above regarding the method of claim 3 is applicable to the device of claim 12.
11. Claims 9 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang, alternatively in view of one of Cox, Park, or Lee, and in further view of U.S. Publication No. 2020/0314756 A1 (hereinafter “Xu”).
Regarding claims 9 and 18: Wang alternatively modified by Cox, Park, or Lee does not explicitly state the alternative features wherein the transmission indication information of the signal comprises transmission indication information of at least one of: an aperiodic Channel State Information reference signal (CSI-RS), a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), a Tracking Reference Signal (TRS) or a Phase Tracking Reference Signal (PTRS). However, these features are taught by Xu (see, e.g., [0062], [0068]). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the application to incorporate features from the system of Xu such as the signal and/or receiver functionality, within the system of Wang alternatively modified by Cox, Park, or Lee, in order to differentiate signal complexity.
The rationale set forth above regarding the method of claim 9 is applicable to the device of claim 18.
Conclusion
12. 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.
13. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NICHOLAS SLOMS whose telephone number is (571)270-7520. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM EST.
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/NICHOLAS SLOMS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2476
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