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 .
Response to Amendment
This is in response to an amendment/response filed on May 17, 2026.
Claims 1,2,5-7 have been amended.
No Claims have been cancelled.
No Claims have been added.
Claims 1-9are currently pending.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on May 17, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
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 1-9 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.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "ULi" in line 10. However, this limitation is undefine in the claim. Therefore, renders the claim vague and indefinite.
Claims 2 7,recite the limitation "Q" in line 4. However, this limitation is undefine in the claim. Therefore, renders the claim vague and indefinite.
Claims 2, 7 recites the limitation "L" in line 10. However, this limitation is undefine in the claim. Therefore, renders the claim vague and indefinite.
Claims 2,7 recite the limitation "Li" in line 13. However, this limitation is undefine in the claim. Therefore, renders the claim vague and indefinite.
Claims 2, 7,recite the limitation "LK" in line 18. However, this limitation is undefine in the claim. Therefore, renders the claim vague and indefinite.
Claims 2, 7, recite the limitation "ULK" in line 18. However, this limitation is undefine in the claim. Therefore, renders the claim vague and indefinite.
Claims 2,7, recite the limitation "ULi-1" in line 20. However, this limitation is undefine in the claim. Therefore, renders the claim vague and indefinite.
Claims 2,7 recite the limitation "ULK+1" in line 22. However, this limitation is undefine in the claim. Therefore, renders the claim vague and indefinite.
Claims 2, 7, recite the limitation "ULK+2" in line 23. However, this limitation is undefine in the claim. Therefore, renders the claim vague and indefinite.
Claims 5,9 recite the limitation "AP-SRS" in line 4. This acronym needs to be defined.
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) 1,4,5-6, and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Manolakos et al. (US Application 2020/0382253, hereinafter Manolakos).
Regarding claims 1, 5, 6,9, Manolakos discloses a method (Figs. 1, 7-9) performed by a network node (110) of a wireless communication network (100), for controlling transmission of uplink APeriodic Sounding Reference Signals, AP-SRS([0072], which recites an aperiodic SRS may be triggered by a request signal in the downlink channel. For example, an SRS request may be sent by the network within DCI through the physical downlink control channel) , the method comprising:
sending , to each of a plurality of User Equipment, UE, an AP-SRS configuration message comprising at least one offset corresponding to each UE, said offset defining after how many time slots from receiving a trigger signal each of the plurality of UEs should transmit the AP-SRS, said plurality of UEs being in one and same cell(Abstract, [0071]-[0094], which recites an SRS may be transmitted aperiodically (DCI-signaled) to each of a plurality of User Equipment, UE. The UE may schedule the SRS transmission based on various SRS parameters including a slot offset parameter. For example, the UE may schedule the SRS transmission after a certain slot offset (K) from the slot in which the UE received the DCI with the SRS request);
prioritizing , the plurality of UEs being triggered by the trigger signals in accordance with the sent corresponding offset, thus a UE of the plurality of UEs being prioritized, UE ULi, of the plurality of UEs I indexes the plurality of UEs, being triggered in a valid AP-SRS triggering slot, said valid AP-SRS triggering slot is a time slot that if the trigger signal is sent to the UE ULi in this slot, the UE ULi will send an AP-SRS after its corresponding offset, the AP-SRS sending slot of the UE ULi is an SRS slot(Abstract, [0071]-[0094], which recites an SRS may be transmitted aperiodically (DCI-signaled) to each of a plurality of User Equipment, UE. The UE may schedule the SRS transmission based on various SRS parameters including a slot offset parameter. For example, the UE may schedule the SRS transmission after a certain slot offset (K) from the slot in which the UE received the DCI with the SRS request. If the same or different aperiodic SRS resource sets have been triggered in different DCIs (e.g., UL DCI, DL DCI, group common DCI) and the first opportunity for the transmission of the multiple triggered occasions collide on the same slot, the following options may be considered: Option 1: The SRS occasion with the smallest delay (D) is prioritized Option 2: The SRS occasion with the largest delay (D) is prioritized);
sending , to each of the plurality of UEs , trigger signals at time slots that are equal to the number of time slots before the AP-SRS is to be transmitted by an individual UE of the plurality of UEs(Abstract, [0071]-[0094], which recites an SRS may be transmitted aperiodically (DCI-signaled) to each of a plurality of User Equipment, UE. The UE may schedule the SRS transmission based on various SRS parameters including a slot offset parameter. For example, the UE may schedule the SRS transmission after a certain slot offset (K) from the slot in which the UE received the DCI with the SRS request. If the same or different aperiodic SRS resource sets have been triggered in different DCIs (e.g., UL DCI, DL DCI, group common DCI) and the first opportunity for the transmission of the multiple triggered occasions collide on the same slot, the following options may be considered: Option 1: The SRS occasion with the smallest delay (D) is prioritized Option 2: The SRS occasion with the largest delay (D) is prioritized);
wherein the trigger signals instructing each of the plurality of UEs (to transmit the AP-SRS in a time slot after its corresponding offset(Abstract, [0071]-[0094], which recites an SRS may be transmitted aperiodically (DCI-signaled) to each of a plurality of User Equipment, UE. The UE may schedule the SRS transmission based on various SRS parameters including a slot offset parameter. For example, the UE may schedule the SRS transmission after a certain slot offset (K) from the slot in which the UE received the DCI with the SRS request. If the same or different aperiodic SRS resource sets have been triggered in different DCIs (e.g., UL DCI, DL DCI, group common DCI) and the first opportunity for the transmission of the multiple triggered occasions collide on the same slot, the following options may be considered: Option 1: The SRS occasion with the smallest delay (D) is prioritized Option 2: The SRS occasion with the largest delay (D) is prioritized).
Regarding claim 4, Manolakos discloses the method as claimed in anyone of the claims claim 1,wherein said method is performed by the wireless node for each TTI([0027],[0059]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3,7-8 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DADY CHERY whose telephone number is (571)270-1207. The examiner can normally be reached M to T, 8 am to 5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Moo Jeong can be reached at 571-272-9617. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DADY CHERY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2418
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