DETAILED ACTION
This office action is a response to the 371 application entering national stage from PCT/JP2021/034185 filed on September 16, 2021.
Claims 1-12 are pending.
Claims 1-12 are rejected.
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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on March 12, 2024, January 24, 2025 and December 8, 2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and
(C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: “a reception unit”, “a control unit”, “a transmission unit” in claims 1-5 and 7-12.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
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.
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.
Claims 1, 3 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2020/0112400, hereinafter Lee, in view of Lee et al. WIPO Publication WO 2020/210333, hereinafter Lee’333
Regarding Claim 1, Lee discloses a terminal (Figure 1, 9-11, 16, 19 and 21-28) comprising:
a reception unit configured to receive a control channel or a shared channel from another terminal in an unlicensed band (Figure 16 and 21; Paragraph [0084-0085] Unlicensed frequency band; Paragraph [0153] In step S1610, a transmitting UE may transmit a PSCCH and/or PSSCH to a receiving UE. For example, the transmitting UE may transmit SL information to the receiving UE by using a PSCCH resource and/or a PSSCH resource. For example, the SL information may include at least one of SL control information, SL data, SL packet, SL Transport Block (TB), SL message and/or SL service; Paragraph [0224] In step S2110, a first device 100 may receive a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH) from a second device 200);
a control unit configured to determine to transmit a feedback corresponding to the control channel or the shared channel to the another terminal via a shared channel and a transmission unit configured to transmit the feedback via the shared channel depending on the determination (Figure 16 and 21; Paragraph [0152-0155] In step S1620, the receiving UE may determine an HARQ feedback resource. Additionally, for example, the transmitting UE may determine the HARQ feedback resource; For example, the HARQ feedback resource may be configured to have a correlation or linkage with the PSSCH. For example, the HARQ feedback resource may include at least one of a time domain resource, a frequency domain resource, and/or a code domain resource.; Paragraph [0225-0228] In step S2120, the first device 100 may transmit an SL HARQ feedback related to the PSSCH to the second device 200. For example, a resource in which the SL HARQ feedback is transmitted may be determined based on an identifier (ID) of the first device 100. For example, the ID of the first device 100 may be an ID for identifying the first device 100 among the plurality of UEs performing groupcast communication within the group. For example, the IDs of the plurality of UEs may be different within the group).
Lee discloses reception of a control channel or shared channel from another terminal in an unlicensed band, determination to transmit feedback corresponding to the control channel or the shared channel and transmission of feedback depending on the determination but may not explicitly disclose the feedback on a shared channel, determining and transmitting a feedback corresponding to the control channel or the shared channel to the another terminal via a shared channel and transmitting the feedback via the shared channel.
However, Lee’333 more specifically teaches the feedback on a shared channel, determining and transmitting a feedback corresponding to the control channel or the shared channel to the another terminal via a shared channel and transmitting the feedback via the shared channel (Claim 1; Figure 3; Paragraph [0014 and 0120-0142] A WTRU may determine a PSFCH resource, for example, using a (e.g., an existing) resource reservation for a future PSSCH/RS transmission to the source WTRU. A WTRU may (e.g., determine to) use one or more (e.g., all) resources a WTRU has reserved for a PSSCH or RS transmission for a HARQ transmission, for example, if the reserved resources satisfy the HARQ timing. A WTRU may determine a PSFCH resource (e.g., as disclosed herein) and may multiplex the PSFCH with a scheduled PSSCH transmission; Multiplexing PSFCH and PSSCH transmissions in a previously-reserved resource. As shown in FIG. 3, a source WTRU with regard to the PSSCH transmission in slot n may have received a PSSCH transmission from the destination WTRU in slot n-y, which may have reserved a resource in slot x+n for a future PSSCH transmission. The PSSCH transmission in slot n may have an associated HARQ timing in slot n+x. The source and destination WTRUs may (e.g., determine to) multiplex the PSFCH transmission in the scheduled PSSCH transmission..
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Lee with the teachings of Lee’333. The communication system enables multiple wireless users to access such content through the sharing of system resources. The adjacent frequency allocation and PSFCH power adjustment maintain a WTRU transmission efficiency above a predefined threshold and/or reduce spurious and inter modulation interferences (Lee’333 Abstract; Paragraph [00021-0008, 0119 and 0151]).
Regarding Claim 3, Lee in view of Lee’333 disclose the terminal as claimed in Claim 1. Lee in view of Lee’333further disclose wherein the control unit determines to multiplex HARQ response information with a shared channel that is to be transmitted to the another terminal and to transmit the multiplexed HARQ response information to the another terminal (Lee Paragraph [0166-0167]; Lee’333 Figure 3; Paragraph [0014 and 0126-0130] ] A WTRU may determine a PSFCH resource, for example, using a (e.g., an existing) resource reservation for a future PSSCH/RS transmission to the source WTRU. A WTRU may (e.g., determine to) use one or more (e.g., all) resources a WTRU has reserved for a PSSCH or RS transmission for a HARQ transmission, for example, if the reserved resources satisfy the HARQ timing. A WTRU may determine a PSFCH resource (e.g., as disclosed herein) and may multiplex the PSFCH with a scheduled PSSCH transmission).
Regarding Claim 6, Lee discloses a communication method performed by a terminal (Figure 1, 9-11, 16, 19 and 21-28), the communication method comprising:
receiving a control channel or a shared channel from another terminal in an unlicensed band (Figure 16 and 21; Paragraph [0084-0085] Unlicensed frequency band; Paragraph [0153] In step S1610, a transmitting UE may transmit a PSCCH and/or PSSCH to a receiving UE. For example, the transmitting UE may transmit SL information to the receiving UE by using a PSCCH resource and/or a PSSCH resource. For example, the SL information may include at least one of SL control information, SL data, SL packet, SL Transport Block (TB), SL message and/or SL service; Paragraph [0224] In step S2110, a first device 100 may receive a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH) from a second device 200);
determining to transmit a feedback corresponding to the control channel or the shared channel to the another terminal via a shared channel; and transmitting the feedback via the shared channel depending on the determination (Figure 16 and 21; Paragraph [0152-0155] In step S1620, the receiving UE may determine an HARQ feedback resource. Additionally, for example, the transmitting UE may determine the HARQ feedback resource; For example, the HARQ feedback resource may be configured to have a correlation or linkage with the PSSCH. For example, the HARQ feedback resource may include at least one of a time domain resource, a frequency domain resource, and/or a code domain resource.; Paragraph [0225-0228] In step S2120, the first device 100 may transmit an SL HARQ feedback related to the PSSCH to the second device 200. For example, a resource in which the SL HARQ feedback is transmitted may be determined based on an identifier (ID) of the first device 100. For example, the ID of the first device 100 may be an ID for identifying the first device 100 among the plurality of UEs performing groupcast communication within the group. For example, the IDs of the plurality of UEs may be different within the group).
Lee discloses reception of a control channel or shared channel from another terminal in an unlicensed band, determination to transmit feedback corresponding to the control channel or the shared channel and transmission of feedback depending on the determination but may not explicitly disclose the feedback on a shared channel, determining and transmitting a feedback corresponding to the control channel or the shared channel to the another terminal via a shared channel and transmitting the feedback via the shared channel.
However, Lee’333 more specifically teaches the feedback on a shared channel, determining and transmitting a feedback corresponding to the control channel or the shared channel to the another terminal via a shared channel and transmitting the feedback via the shared channel (Claim 1; Figure 3; Paragraph [0014 and 0120-0142] A WTRU may determine a PSFCH resource, for example, using a (e.g., an existing) resource reservation for a future PSSCH/RS transmission to the source WTRU. A WTRU may (e.g., determine to) use one or more (e.g., all) resources a WTRU has reserved for a PSSCH or RS transmission for a HARQ transmission, for example, if the reserved resources satisfy the HARQ timing. A WTRU may determine a PSFCH resource (e.g., as disclosed herein) and may multiplex the PSFCH with a scheduled PSSCH transmission; Multiplexing PSFCH and PSSCH transmissions in a previously-reserved resource. As shown in FIG. 3, a source WTRU with regard to the PSSCH transmission in slot n may have received a PSSCH transmission from the destination WTRU in slot n-y, which may have reserved a resource in slot x+n for a future PSSCH transmission. The PSSCH transmission in slot n may have an associated HARQ timing in slot n+x. The source and destination WTRUs may (e.g., determine to) multiplex the PSFCH transmission in the scheduled PSSCH transmission..
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Lee with the teachings of Lee’333. The communication system enables multiple wireless users to access such content through the sharing of system resources. The adjacent frequency allocation and PSFCH power adjustment maintain a WTRU transmission efficiency above a predefined threshold and/or reduce spurious and inter modulation interferences (Lee’333 Abstract; Paragraph [00021-0008, 0119 and 0151]).
Claims 2, 4, 5 and 7-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee in view of Lee’333 as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Osawa et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2021/0314097, hereinafter Osawa.
Regarding Claim 2, Lee in view of Lee’333 disclose the terminal as claimed in Claim 1. Lee in view of Lee’333 disclose HARQ response information and transmission via the shared channel based on the control channel or the shared channel from another terminal but may not explicitly disclose wherein the control unit determines HARQ response information based on an indication from the another terminal or on the control channel or the shared channel corresponding to the feedback, and the transmission unit transmits the determined HARQ response information to the another terminal via the shared channel.
However, Osawa more specifically teaches wherein the control unit determines HARQ response information based on an indication from the another terminal or on the control channel or the shared channel corresponding to the feedback, and the transmission unit transmits the determined HARQ response information to the another terminal via the shared channel (Figure 4; Paragraph [0055-0099] The user equipment 20A transmits, to the user equipment 20B, signals via PSCCH and/or PSSCH and a report indicating the HARQ response resource of SL. Subsequently, in step 2, the user equipment 20B transmits, to the base station apparatus 10, the SL-ACK/NACK signaling determined based on the reception result of signals received via PSCCH and/or PSSCH, by using the HARQ response resource indicated by the report received in step 1. Signals indicating ACK may not be transmitted and only signals indicating NACK may be transmitted. Subsequently, in step 3, the user equipment 20 determines the St scheduling information for re-transmission based on the received SL-ACK/NACK signaling, and transmits the signals via PSCCH and/or PSSCH to the user equipment 20A based on the SL scheduling information; That is various instruction from another terminal is indicating including predetermined conditions (reception results) being satisfied in which the terminal reports).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Lee in view of Lee’333 with the teachings of Osawa. Osawa provides a solution where retransmission control can be appropriately performed in direct communication between terminals. The traffic between a user apparatus and a base station apparatus is reduced (Osawa Abstract; Paragraph [0001-0010 and 0099]).
Regarding Claim 4, Lee in view of Lee’333 disclose the terminal as claimed in Claim 1. Lee in view of Lee’333 disclose HARQ response information and transmission via the shared channel based on the control channel or the shared channel from another terminal but may not explicitly disclose wherein the control unit determines to transmit the feedback to the another terminal via the shared channel, based on a request from the another terminal, or in a case where a predetermined condition is satisfied.
However, Osawa more specifically teaches wherein the control unit determines to transmit the feedback to the another terminal via the shared channel, based on a request from the another terminal, or in a case where a predetermined condition is satisfied (Figure 4; Paragraph [0055-0099] The user equipment 20A transmits, to the user equipment 20B, signals via PSCCH and/or PSSCH and a report indicating the HARQ response resource of SL. Subsequently, in step 2, the user equipment 20B transmits, to the base station apparatus 10, the SL-ACK/NACK signaling determined based on the reception result of signals received via PSCCH and/or PSSCH, by using the HARQ response resource indicated by the report received in step 1. Signals indicating ACK may not be transmitted and only signals indicating NACK may be transmitted. Subsequently, in step 3, the user equipment 20 determines the St scheduling information for re-transmission based on the received SL-ACK/NACK signaling, and transmits the signals via PSCCH and/or PSSCH to the user equipment 20A based on the SL scheduling information; That is various instruction from another terminal is indicating including predetermined conditions (reception results) being satisfied in which the terminal reports).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Lee in view of Lee’333 with the teachings of Osawa. Osawa provides a solution where retransmission control can be appropriately performed in direct communication between terminals. The traffic between a user apparatus and a base station apparatus is reduced (Osawa Abstract; Paragraph [0001-0010 and 0099]).
Regarding Claim 5, Lee in view of Lee’333 disclose the terminal as claimed in Claim 1. Lee in view of Lee’333 disclose HARQ response information and transmission via the shared channel based on the control channel or the shared channel from another terminal but may not explicitly disclose wherein the control unit determines a resource that is to be used for the feedback, based on a request from the another terminal, or based on a resource that is reserved or indicated by the another terminal.
However, Osawa more specifically teaches wherein the control unit determines a resource that is to be used for the feedback, based on a request from the another terminal, or based on a resource that is reserved or indicated by the another terminal (Figure 4; Paragraph [0055-0099] The user equipment 20A transmits, to the user equipment 20B, signals via PSCCH and/or PSSCH and a report indicating the HARQ response resource of SL. Subsequently, in step 2, the user equipment 20B transmits, to the base station apparatus 10, the SL-ACK/NACK signaling determined based on the reception result of signals received via PSCCH and/or PSSCH, by using the HARQ response resource indicated by the report received in step 1. Signals indicating ACK may not be transmitted and only signals indicating NACK may be transmitted. Subsequently, in step 3, the user equipment 20 determines the St scheduling information for re-transmission based on the received SL-ACK/NACK signaling, and transmits the signals via PSCCH and/or PSSCH to the user equipment 20A based on the SL scheduling information; That is various instruction from another terminal is indicating including predetermined conditions (reception results) being satisfied in which the terminal reports).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Lee in view of Lee’333 with the teachings of Osawa. Osawa provides a solution where retransmission control can be appropriately performed in direct communication between terminals. The traffic between a user apparatus and a base station apparatus is reduced (Osawa Abstract; Paragraph [0001-0010 and 0099]).
Regarding Claim 7, Lee in view of Lee’333 and Osawa disclose the terminal as claimed in Claim 2. Lee in view of Lee’333 and Osawa further disclose wherein the control unit determines to multiplex HARQ response information with a shared channel that is to be transmitted to the another terminal and to transmit the multiplexed HARQ response information to the another terminal (Lee Paragraph [0166-0167]; Lee’333 Figure 3; Paragraph [0014 and 0126-0130] A WTRU may determine a PSFCH resource, for example, using a (e.g., an existing) resource reservation for a future PSSCH/RS transmission to the source WTRU. A WTRU may (e.g., determine to) use one or more (e.g., all) resources a WTRU has reserved for a PSSCH or RS transmission for a HARQ transmission, for example, if the reserved resources satisfy the HARQ timing. A WTRU may determine a PSFCH resource (e.g., as disclosed herein) and may multiplex the PSFCH with a scheduled PSSCH transmission).
Regarding Claim 8, Lee in view of Lee’333 and Osawa disclose the terminal as claimed in Claim 2. Lee in view of Lee’333 and Osawa further disclose wherein the control unit determines to transmit the feedback to the another terminal via the shared channel, based on a request from the another terminal, or in a case where a predetermined condition is satisfied (Osawa Figure 4; Paragraph [0055-0099] The user equipment 20A transmits, to the user equipment 20B, signals via PSCCH and/or PSSCH and a report indicating the HARQ response resource of SL. Subsequently, in step 2, the user equipment 20B transmits, to the base station apparatus 10, the SL-ACK/NACK signaling determined based on the reception result of signals received via PSCCH and/or PSSCH, by using the HARQ response resource indicated by the report received in step 1. Signals indicating ACK may not be transmitted and only signals indicating NACK may be transmitted. Subsequently, in step 3, the user equipment 20 determines the St scheduling information for re-transmission based on the received SL-ACK/NACK signaling, and transmits the signals via PSCCH and/or PSSCH to the user equipment 20A based on the SL scheduling information; That is various instruction from another terminal is indicating including predetermined conditions (reception results) being satisfied in which the terminal reports).
Regarding Claim 9, Lee in view of Lee’333 disclose the terminal as claimed in Claim 3. Lee in view of Lee’333 disclose HARQ response information and transmission via the shared channel based on the control channel or the shared channel from another terminal but may not explicitly disclose wherein the control unit determines to transmit the feedback to the another terminal via the shared channel, based on a request from the another terminal, or in a case where a predetermined condition is satisfied.
However, Osawa more specifically teaches wherein the control unit determines to transmit the feedback to the another terminal via the shared channel, based on a request from the another terminal, or in a case where a predetermined condition is satisfied (Figure 4; Paragraph [0055-0099] The user equipment 20A transmits, to the user equipment 20B, signals via PSCCH and/or PSSCH and a report indicating the HARQ response resource of SL. Subsequently, in step 2, the user equipment 20B transmits, to the base station apparatus 10, the SL-ACK/NACK signaling determined based on the reception result of signals received via PSCCH and/or PSSCH, by using the HARQ response resource indicated by the report received in step 1. Signals indicating ACK may not be transmitted and only signals indicating NACK may be transmitted. Subsequently, in step 3, the user equipment 20 determines the St scheduling information for re-transmission based on the received SL-ACK/NACK signaling, and transmits the signals via PSCCH and/or PSSCH to the user equipment 20A based on the SL scheduling information; That is various instruction from another terminal is indicating including predetermined conditions (reception results) being satisfied in which the terminal reports).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Lee in view of Lee’333 with the teachings of Osawa. Osawa provides a solution where retransmission control can be appropriately performed in direct communication between terminals. The traffic between a user apparatus and a base station apparatus is reduced (Osawa Abstract; Paragraph [0001-0010 and 0099]).
Regarding Claim 10, Lee in view of Lee’333 and Osawa disclose the terminal as claimed in Claim 2. Lee in view of Lee’333 and Osawa further disclose wherein the control unit determines a resource that is to be used for the feedback, based on a request from the another terminal, or based on a resource that is reserved or indicated by the another terminal (Osawa Figure 4; Paragraph [0055-0099] The user equipment 20A transmits, to the user equipment 20B, signals via PSCCH and/or PSSCH and a report indicating the HARQ response resource of SL. Subsequently, in step 2, the user equipment 20B transmits, to the base station apparatus 10, the SL-ACK/NACK signaling determined based on the reception result of signals received via PSCCH and/or PSSCH, by using the HARQ response resource indicated by the report received in step 1. Signals indicating ACK may not be transmitted and only signals indicating NACK may be transmitted. Subsequently, in step 3, the user equipment 20 determines the St scheduling information for re-transmission based on the received SL-ACK/NACK signaling, and transmits the signals via PSCCH and/or PSSCH to the user equipment 20A based on the SL scheduling information; That is various instruction from another terminal is indicating including predetermined conditions (reception results) being satisfied in which the terminal reports).
Regarding Claim 11, Lee in view of Lee’333 disclose the terminal as claimed in Claim 3. Lee in view of Lee’333 disclose HARQ response information and transmission via the shared channel based on the control channel or the shared channel from another terminal but may not explicitly disclose wherein the control unit determines a resource that is to be used for the feedback, based on a request from the another terminal, or based on a resource that is reserved or indicated by the another terminal.
However, Osawa more specifically teaches wherein the control unit determines a resource that is to be used for the feedback, based on a request from the another terminal, or based on a resource that is reserved or indicated by the another terminal (Figure 4; Paragraph [0055-0099] The user equipment 20A transmits, to the user equipment 20B, signals via PSCCH and/or PSSCH and a report indicating the HARQ response resource of SL. Subsequently, in step 2, the user equipment 20B transmits, to the base station apparatus 10, the SL-ACK/NACK signaling determined based on the reception result of signals received via PSCCH and/or PSSCH, by using the HARQ response resource indicated by the report received in step 1. Signals indicating ACK may not be transmitted and only signals indicating NACK may be transmitted. Subsequently, in step 3, the user equipment 20 determines the St scheduling information for re-transmission based on the received SL-ACK/NACK signaling, and transmits the signals via PSCCH and/or PSSCH to the user equipment 20A based on the SL scheduling information; That is various instruction from another terminal is indicating including predetermined conditions (reception results) being satisfied in which the terminal reports).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Lee in view of Lee’333 with the teachings of Osawa. Osawa provides a solution where retransmission control can be appropriately performed in direct communication between terminals. The traffic between a user apparatus and a base station apparatus is reduced (Osawa Abstract; Paragraph [0001-0010 and 0099]).
Regarding Claim 12, Lee in view of Lee’333 and Osawa disclose the terminal as claimed in Claim 4. Lee in view of Lee’333 and Osawa further disclose wherein the control unit determines a resource that is to be used for the feedback, based on a request from the another terminal, or based on a resource that is reserved or indicated by the another terminal (Lee Figure 16; Paragraph [0152-0157]; Osawa Figure 4; Paragraph [0055-0099] The user equipment 20A transmits, to the user equipment 20B, signals via PSCCH and/or PSSCH and a report indicating the HARQ response resource of SL. Subsequently, in step 2, the user equipment 20B transmits, to the base station apparatus 10, the SL-ACK/NACK signaling determined based on the reception result of signals received via PSCCH and/or PSSCH, by using the HARQ response resource indicated by the report received in step 1. Signals indicating ACK may not be transmitted and only signals indicating NACK may be transmitted. Subsequently, in step 3, the user equipment 20 determines the St scheduling information for re-transmission based on the received SL-ACK/NACK signaling, and transmits the signals via PSCCH and/or PSSCH to the user equipment 20A based on the SL scheduling information; That is various instruction from another terminal is indicating including predetermined conditions (reception results) being satisfied in which the terminal reports).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to IVAN O LATORRE whose telephone number is (571)272-6264. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
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, Hadi Armouche can be reached at (571) 270-3618. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
IVAN O. LATORRE
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2409
/IVAN O LATORRE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2409