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 2, 3-9, 12, 19, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, and 21 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 claim 2, claim 2 is missing an ‘and’ before the last item in the list. Therefore, it is unclear if the list has ended or there are more items in the list.
Regarding claims 3-9, 12, 19, claim 3 is missing an ‘and’ before the last item in the list. Therefore, it is unclear if the list has ended or there are more items in the list. Claims 4-9, 12, 19 do not cure the deficiencies of claim 3 and are rejected for similar reasons.
Regarding claims 8, 9, 12, claim 8 is missing an ‘and’ before the last item in the list. Therefore, it is unclear if the list has ended or there are more items in the list. Claims 9 and 12 do not cure the deficiencies of claim 8 and are rejected for similar reasons.
Regarding claim 12, claim 12 is missing an ‘and’ between the subtracting step and performing step and is missing an ‘and’ between the obtaining step and multiplying step. The claim is unclear because without these ‘and’s added it is unclear what is being ‘or’ed.
Regarding claims 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 21, claim 10 is missing an ‘and’ before the last item in the list. Therefore, it is unclear if the list has ended or there are more items in the list. Claims 4-9, 12, 19 do not cure the deficiencies of claim 3 and are rejected for similar reasons.
Regarding claims 11 and 14, claim 11 is missing an ‘and’ before the last item in the list. Therefore, it is unclear if the list has ended or there are more items in the list. Claim 14 does not cure the deficiencies of claim 11 and are rejected for similar reasons.
Regarding claims 15 and 16, claim 15 is missing an ‘and’ before the last item in the list. Therefore, it is unclear if the list has ended or there are more items in the list. Claim 16 does not cure the deficiencies of claim 15 and are rejected for similar reasons.
Regarding claim 16, claim 16 is missing an ‘and’ between the subtracting step and performing step and is missing an ‘and’ between the obtaining step and multiplying step. The claim is unclear because without these ‘and’s added it is unclear what is being ‘or’ed.
Regarding claim 21, claim 21 is missing an ‘and’ between the obtaining step and performing step and is missing an ‘and’ between the obtaining step and multiplying step. The claim is unclear because without these ‘and’s added it is unclear what is being ‘or’ed.
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)(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, 2, and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Papasakellariou (2022/0279454; Provisional 63/244890 dated 16 Sept 2021; and Provisional 63/155030 dated 1 March 2021; citations are to the publication with support in the provisionals).
Regarding claim 1, Papasakellariou discloses a power control parameter determining method, comprising: (See Papasakellariou para. 119; TPC, transmit power control)
obtaining, by a user equipment (UE), related parameters of unicast and related parameters of multicast; and
determining, by the UE, the power control parameter of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) according to the related parameters of the unicast and the related parameters of the multicast. (See Papasakellariou para. 119, 140; UE determines power (e.g. power control parameter) for PUCCH based upon a first codebook used for unicast and a second codebook used for multicast (e.g. parameters); para. 120 UE is indicated codebook (e.g. it is obtained); see also para. 133; para. 174)
Regarding claim 2, Papasakellariou discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the related parameters of the multicast include at least one of the following:
a downlink assignment index (DAI) parameter of a last downlink control information (DCI) in DCIs of the multicast; (See Papasakellariou para.97-98; DAI of last DCI; para. 111; multicast)
the number of DCIs of the multicast received by the UE; (See Papasakellariou para.99; at least one DCI (e.g. a number); para. 111; multicast)
the number of transport blocks of the multicast received by the UE; (See Papasakellariou para.104)
the number of semi-persistently scheduled transport blocks of the multicast received by the UE. (See Papasakellariou para. 97-98; formula 6; Nsps (e.g. SPS-semi-persistently scheduled); see also para. 174)
Regarding claim 24, Papasakellariou discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the power control parameter of the PUCCH refers to a power control parameter that needs to feed back HARQ-ACK, and feedback of the HARQ-ACK is based on acknowledgment (ACK)/negative acknowledgment (NACK). (See Papasakellariou para. 82; HARQ ACK/NACK fed back; para. 5 power control)
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.
Claim 25 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Papasakellariou (2022/0279454; Provisional 63/244890 dated 16 Sept 2021; and Provisional 63/155030 dated 1 March 2021; citations are to the publication with support in the provisionals) and further in view of Hu (2024/0204967; Foreign Priority 4 Sept 2021).
Regarding claim 25, Papasakellariou discloses the method according to claim 24, wherein the power control parameters of the PUCCH include:
related DCI and transport blocks for feedback (See Papasakellariou para. 82; HARQ ACK/NACK fed back; para. 5 power control for feedback of TB)
Papasakellariou does not explicitly disclose wherein that convert NACK-only to ACK/NACK. However, Hu does disclose wherein that convert NACK-only to ACK/NACK. (See Hu para. 174) Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the method of Papasakellariou to include the teaching of wherein that convert NACK-only to ACK/NACK of Hu with the motivation being to allow for combining of feedback which saves bandwidth and reduces delay and further to allow for combining of different types of feedback into one message.
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)(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 26 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Papasakellariou (2022/0279454; Provisional 63/244890 dated 16 Sept 2021; and Provisional 63/155030 dated 1 March 2021; citations are to the publication with support in the provisionals).
Regarding claim 26, Papasakellariou discloses a power control parameter determining device, comprising: (See Papasakellariou para. 119; TPC, transmit power control)
a memory, a transceiver, and a processor;
wherein the memory is used to store a computer program; the transceiver is used to transmit and receive data under control of the processor; the processor is used to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: (See Papasakellariou fig. 3; transceiver and processor executing algorithms stored in memory; para. 59, 56)
obtaining related parameters of unicast and related parameters of multicast; and
determining the power control parameter of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) according to the related parameters of the unicast and the related parameters of the multicast. (See Papasakellariou para. 119, 140; UE determines power (e.g. power control parameter) for PUCCH based upon a first codebook used for unicast and a second codebook used for multicast (e.g. parameters); para. 120 UE is indicated codebook (e.g. it is obtained); see also para. 133; para. 174)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-9, 12, 19 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.
Claims 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 21 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEPHEN J CLAWSON whose telephone number is (571)270-7498. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-5:00 pm est.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Huy D Vu can be reached at (571) 272-3155. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Stephen J Clawson/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2461
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