DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(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.
Claims 1, 6, 9-12, 19, 26-29 and 30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by MolavianJazi et al (US 2024/0040429, hereinafter MolavianJazi).
Regarding claim 1, MolavianJazi discloses an apparatus (UE, Fig. 3) for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising: one or more memories and one or more processors (processor and memory, Fig. 3), coupled to the one or more memories, configured to cause the UE to: identify a maximum quantity of downlink control information (DCI) sizes to monitor, wherein the maximum quantity of DCI sizes is specific to a time interval (DCI budget per slot, Para [0391], UE can apply DCI size budget per slot, Para [0083], the budget is the maximum number of DCI sizes the UE can monitor, Para [0093]); and monitor for DCI in accordance with the maximum quantity of DCI sizes in the time interval (UE can monitor PDCCH per slot, Para [0092], the UE is configured to monitor PDCCH detection and count size of DCI format towards budget for maximum number of DCI sizes, Para [0093]).
Regarding claim 6, MolavianJazi discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the time interval comprises at least one of: a single slot, a quantity of consecutive slots, or a radio frame (UE can apply DCI size budget per slot, Para [0083]).
Regarding claims 9 and 26, MolavianJazi discloses the apparatus of claim 1/19, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the UE to identifying a quantity of DCI sizes configured in the time interval, wherein, to cause the UE to monitor for the DCI in accordance with the maximum quantity of DCI sizes in the time interval, the one or more processors are further configured to cause the UE to: drop one or more DCI formats in the time interval such that the quantity of DCI sizes satisfies the maximum quantity of DCI sizes, or align one or more DCI sizes in the time interval such that the quantity of DCI sizes satisfies the maximum quantity of DCI sizes (perform DCI size alignment procedure, to ensure DCI size budget is met, Para [0075], UE can drop some DCI formats based on rules, Para [0083]).
Regarding claims 10 and 27, MolavianJazi discloses the apparatus of claim 9/26, wherein the one or more processors, to cause the UE to drop the one or more DCI formats, are configured to cause the UE to drop the one or more DCI formats in accordance with a prioritization rule (drop some DCI format based on predetermined priority rules, Para [0083]).
Regarding claims 11 and 28, MolavianJazi discloses the apparatus of claim 9/26, wherein the one or more processors, to cause the UE to align the one or more DCI sizes, are configured to cause the UE to pad a length of the one or more DCI sizes or truncate the length of the one or more DCI sizes (perform DCI size alignment based on rules, the rule can include padding or truncating one or more DCI formats, Para [0094]).
Regarding claim 12, MolavianJazi discloses the apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more DCI sizes are all associated with one or more UE-specific search spaces (UE monitors for PDCCH candidate for DCI format from an USS set, Para [0186]).
Regarding claim 19, MolavianJazi discloses an apparatus (gNB, Fig. 2) for wireless communication at a network node, comprising: one or more memories and one or more processors (memory and processor, Fig. 2), coupled to the one or more memories, configured to cause the network node to: identify a maximum quantity of downlink control information (DCI) sizes to monitor, wherein the maximum quantity of DCI sizes is specific to a time interval (DCI budget per slot, Para [0391], apply DCI size budget per slot, Para [0083], the budget is the maximum number of DCI sizes the UE can monitor, Para [0093]); and transmit DCI in accordance with the maximum quantity of DCI sizes in the time interval (transmit DCI format based on maximum size, Para [0007]).
Regarding claim 29, MolavianJazi discloses a method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: identifying a maximum quantity of downlink control information (DCI) sizes to monitor, wherein the maximum quantity of DCI sizes is specific to a time interval (DCI budget per slot, Para [0391], UE can apply DCI size budget per slot, Para [0083], the budget is the maximum number of DCI sizes the UE can monitor, Para [0093]); and monitoring for DCI in accordance with the maximum quantity of DCI sizes in the time interval (UE can monitor PDCCH per slot, Para [0092], the UE is configured to monitor PDCCH detection and count size of DCI format towards budget for maximum number of DCI sizes, Para [0093]).
Regarding claim 30, MolavianJazi discloses a method of wireless communication performed by a network node, comprising: identifying a maximum quantity of downlink control information (DCI) sizes to monitor, wherein the maximum quantity of DCI sizes is specific to a time interval (DCI budget per slot, Para [0391], apply DCI size budget per slot, Para [0083], the budget is the maximum number of DCI sizes the UE can monitor, Para [0093]); and transmitting DCI in accordance with the maximum quantity of DCI sizes in the time interval (transmit DCI format based on maximum size, Para [0007]).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 2-5, 7, 8, 13-18 and 22-25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MolavianJazi and in view of Salah et al (US 2020/0328840, hereinafter Salah).
Regarding claims 2 and 20, MolavianJazi discloses the apparatus of claim 1/19, but not wherein the maximum quantity of DCI sizes is associated with a first set of radio network temporary identifiers and a second set of radio network temporary identifiers. Salah discloses 3 DCI sizes scrambled by C-RNTI and 1 DCI size scrambled by SFI-RNTI, which is within the DCI size budget, Para [0029]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to utilize the techniques taught by Salah in the system of MolavianJazi in order to reduce PDCCH monitoring complexity and avoid risk of confusion with existing DCI formats.
Regarding claims 3 and 21, MolavianJazi discloses the apparatus of claim 2/20, but not wherein the maximum quantity of DCI sizes is associated with a first maximum quantity of DCI sizes of the first set of radio network temporary identifiers and a second maximum quantity of DCI sizes of the second set of radio network temporary identifiers. Salah discloses 3 DCI sizes scrambled by C-RNTI and 1 DCI size scrambled by SFI-RNTI, which is within the DCI size budget, Para [0029].
Regarding claims 4 and 22, MolavianJazi discloses the apparatus of claim 3/21, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the UE to receive configuration information that indicates at least one of the first maximum quantity of DCI sizes or the second maximum quantity of DCI sizes (UE can be configured to monitor PDCCHs, Para [0075], obvious variation to include the DCI size budget).
Regarding claims 5 and 23, MolavianJazi discloses the apparatus of claim 3/21, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the UE to transmit capability information that indicates at least one of the first maximum quantity of DCI sizes or the second maximum quantity of DCI sizes (UE can report capabilities, Para [0336], obvious variation to include the DCI size budget).
Regarding claims 7 and 24, MolavianJazi discloses the apparatus of claim 1/19, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the UE to receive configuration information that indicates a length of the time interval (UE can be configured to monitor PDCCHs, Para [0075], obvious variation to include the time interval).
Regarding claims 8 and 25, MolavianJazi discloses the apparatus of claim 1/19, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the UE to transmit capability information that indicates a length of the time interval (UE can report capabilities, Para [0336], obvious variation to report time interval).
Regarding claim 13, MolavianJazi discloses the apparatus of claim 9, wherein the one or more processors, to cause the UE to monitor for the DCI in accordance with the maximum quantity of DCI sizes in the time interval, are configured to cause the UE to drop the one or more DCI formats in the time interval and aligning one or more DCI sizes in the time interval such that the quantity of DCI sizes satisfies the maximum quantity of DCI sizes (perform DCI size alignment procedure, to ensure DCI size budget is met, Para [0075], UE can drop some DCI formats based on rules, Para [0083], obvious variation to do both).
Regarding claim 14, MolavianJazi discloses the apparatus of claim 9, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the UE to monitor for the DCI in a second time interval without dropping DCI formats in the second time interval or aligning DCI sizes in the second time interval (UE can drop some DCI formats based on rules, Para [0083], obvious variation, the UE doesn’t need to drop DCI formats in a second interval).
Regarding claim 15, MolavianJazi discloses the apparatus of claim 1, but not wherein the one or more processors, to cause the UE to monitor for the DCI in accordance with the maximum quantity of DCI sizes in the time interval, are configured to cause the UE to monitor for the DCI in accordance with the maximum quantity of DCI sizes only on a primary cell (obvious variation to one of ordinary skill in the art to monitor only on a Pcell).
Regarding claim 16, MolavianJazi discloses the apparatus of claim 1, but not wherein the one or more processors, to cause the UE to monitor for the DCI in accordance with the maximum quantity of DCI sizes in the time interval, are configured to cause the UE to monitor for the DCI in accordance with the maximum quantity of DCI sizes only on a primary cell or a primary secondary cell (obvious variation to one of ordinary skill in the art to monitor only on a Pcell).
Regarding claim 17, MolavianJazi discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors, to cause the UE to monitor for the DCI in accordance with the maximum quantity of DCI sizes in the time interval, are configured to cause the UE to monitor for the DCI in accordance with the maximum quantity of DCI sizes on a primary cell and one or more secondary cells (UE can monitor PDCCH candidates on a SCell, Para [0154], monitoring on PCell, Para [0154]).
Regarding claim 18, MolavianJazi discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the UE to transmit capability information that indicates whether the UE supports dropping one or more DCI formats in the time interval, aligning one or more DCI sizes in the time interval, or a combination thereof (perform DCI size alignment procedure, to ensure DCI size budget is met, Para [0075], UE can drop some DCI formats based on rules, Para [0083], UE can report capabilities, Para [0336], obvious variation for UE to report this capability).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEVIN CUNNINGHAM whose telephone number is (571) 272-1765. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Thursday 7:30-18:00 (EST).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Huy Vu can be reached on (571) 272-3155. The fax 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.
/KEVIN M CUNNINGHAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2461
Prosecution Insights