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 § 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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-10 and 14 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. Parent claims 1, 10 and 14 recite the limitation: “wherein a cast type related to the SL data is related to a groupcast or a broadcast”; it is unclear how the wherein further define, change or modify the previous steps. The plain meaning of related only requires to be a connection and the claims describe a relationship based on another relationship making the scope of the connection unclear. For examination purposes anything in a communication system is connected. The rest of the claims they share the deficiency by virtue of dependency.
Claims 1-10 and 14 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. Parent claims 1, 10 and 14 recite the limitation: “wherein one or more quality of service (QoS) profiles related to the groupcast and/or the broadcast are mapped to one or more SL DRX configurations, respectively, wherein based on an L2 destination ID related to the SL data being associated with a plurality of QoS profiles: a resource pool to which an operation related to the SL DRX among resource pools based on the configuration information is applied is determined based on the QoS profile associated with the SL data among the plurality of QoS profiles, and an SL DRX configuration mapped to the QoS profile associated with the SL data is applied to the determined resource pool” it is unclear how the “wherein” clause further define, change or modify the previous steps and/or what relationship it has to the prior steps. The plain meaning of related only requires to be a connection and the claims describe a relationship based on another relationship making the scope of the connection unclear. For examination purposes anything in a communication system is connected. The rest of the claims they share the deficiency by virtue of dependency.
Claims 1-10 and 14 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. Parent claims 1, 10 and 14 recite the limitation: “wherein based on an L2 destination ID related to the SL data being associated with a plurality of QoS profiles”; it is unclear what the limitation require. Please explain. The plain meaning of associated only requires a connection and for examination purposes anything in a communication system already have a connection since it is part of a communication system. The rest of the claims they share the deficiency by virtue of dependency.
Claims 4-5 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. It is unclear the scope of the limitation “includes only a slot which belongs to the determined resource pool” is unclear. How time can include a slot? Please explain.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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)(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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 7-10 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Pan WO 2021119474.
As to claim 1, Pan discloses a method performed by a second terminal (fig. 5 (201, 202)) supporting sidelink discontinuous reception (para, 74) in a wireless communication system (fig. 5), the method comprising:
receiving, from a base station, configuration information related to a resource pool for sidelink communication (para, 74,326);
receiving a sidelink control information. SCI, from a first terminal (fig. 5 (202, 201); para 170); and
receiving, based on of the SCI, SL data from the first terminal (para, 196),
wherein a cast type related to the SL data is related to a groupcast or a broadcast (para. 79, (241-247, 327 (groupcast broadcast)),
wherein one or more quality of service. QoS, profiles related to the groupcast and/or the broadcast are mapped to one or more SL DRX configurations, respectively,
wherein based on an L2 destination ID related to the SL data being associated with a plurality of QoS profiles (para. 181, 221 (QoS profile)):
a resource pool to which an operation related to the SL DRX among resource pools based on the configuration information is applied is determined based on the QoS profile associated with the SL data among the plurality of QoS profiles (para. 221-223 (resource pool based on QoS profile)), and
an SL DRX configuration mapped to the QoS profile associated with the SL data is applied to the determined resource pool (para. 221 (e.g. QoS indicates that the traffic requires low latency)).
As to claim 2, Pan discloses the method of claim 1, wherein monitoring related to the SCI is performed in an active time related to the SL DRX, wherein the active time related to the SL DRX includes a time interval in which an SL DRX timer runs, and wherein the SL DRX timer is based on the SL DRX configuration mapped to the QoS profile associated with the SL data (para. 220-223 (resource pool based on QoS profile)),
As to claim 3, Pan discloses the method of claim 2, wherein the SL DRX timer includes at least one of i) an SL DRX OnDuration timer, ii) an SL DRX Inactivity timer, and/or iii) an SL DRX Retransmission timer (para. 271).
As to claim 7, Pan discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, from the base station, configuration information related to the SL DRX including the one or more SL DRX configurations (para. 326).
As to claim 8, Pan discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the QoS profile associated with the SL data includes QoS parameters based on a PC5 QoS identifier (PQI), and wherein the QoS parameters include at least one of i) a priority level for a QoS flow associated with the SL data, ii) a packet error rate for the QoS flow, and iii) a packet delay budget for the QoS flow (para, 181).
As to claim 9, Pan discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the determined resource pool is based on a resource pool to which a slot in which the SCI and/or the SL data is received belongs (para, 148-154).
Regarding claims 10 and 14, they are the corresponding first and second terminal claims of method claim 1. Therefore, claims 10 and 14 are rejected for the same reasons as shown above.
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.
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.
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.
Claim(s) 4-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pan.
As to claims 4-5, Pan discloses the method of claim 3, wherein based on the SL DRX inactivity timer or the SL DRX retransmission timer being started after a slot in which the SCI is received (para, 273), a time interval in which the SL DRX inactivity timer or the SL DRX retransmission timer operates includes only a slot which belongs to the determined resource pool (para, 302), wherein a time interval in which the SL DRX Onduration timer, which runs every SL DRX cycle (para, 271), operates includes only a slot which belongs to the determined resource pool. As mentioned above in the 112 rejection it is unclear the scope of “includes only a slot which belongs to the determined resource pool” for examination purposes is going to be equated to table 5 in par. 325 which recites parameters can a value in number of slots. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to select the desired number of slot in order to transmit or wait for the desired information.
As to claim 6, Pan discloses the method of claim 5, wherein the SL DRX cycle is determined based on the SL DRX configuration mapped to the QoS profile associated with the SL data (para, 181).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARCOS L TORRES whose telephone number is (571)272-7926. The examiner can normally be reached 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM M-F.
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MARCOS L. TORRES
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2647
/MARCOS L TORRES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2647