DETAILED ACTION
This Office action is in response to the communication received on 11 August 2026.
Claims 1-9 were cancelled.
Claim 13 is cancelled.
Claims 10-12,14 are new and presented for examination
Response to Arguments
Applicants’ arguments and claim amendment received on 11 August 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Point (A), the prior art does not disclose the amended element of “wherein the wireless relay device identifies control information for the wireless relay device by using dedicated identification information” in instant independent claims 10, 14.
As to point (A), WANG discloses, as pointed by Applicant’s remarks received on 08/11/2026, on page 5, in instant [115] of the originally-filed specification that, “[115] The wireless relay device 30 may share the RNTI with the terminal 20, or may use the RNTI that is dedicated for the wireless relay device 30. The wireless relay device 30 may determine which of the fields included in the DCI is to be addressed to the device itself, based on an upper layer configuration”.
WANG discloses said described RNTI in published [52].
Conclusively, the amended elements of “dedicated identification information” = “RNTI” (Radio Network Temporary Identifier) = WANG’s RNTI in published [52].
Therefore, the 35 USC 102 rejection stands as follow:
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.
Claims 10-12,14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by WANG et al. US 2023/0156751 A1.
As to claim 10, WANG discloses substantially the invention as claimed, including a wireless relay device (Figures 1, 3, 7, the repeater 110, 700) comprising:
a transmitter (Figures 1, 3, 7, the antenna 716) that transmits, to a base station (Figures 1, 3, the BS 105), capability information (Figures 1, 3, the SL capability report, step 308) indicating whether simultaneous transmission of control information and a relay signal is supported for a communication between the base station and a terminal (Figures 1, 3, the SL UE 115) (Figures 1, 3, and associated text, [77]-[78], [90]-[92], [134]-[136], [148]-[149]); and
a communication circuit (Figures 1, 3, 7, the communication module 708) that relays the communication between the base station and the terminal (Figures 1, 3, 7 and associated text, [122]),
wherein the transmitter simultaneously transmits the control information and the relay signal, and wherein the wireless relay device identifies control information for the wireless relay device by using dedicated identification information (Figures 1, 3, 7, and associated text, [52], [77]-[78], [90]-[92], [122], [134]-[136], [148]-[149]).
As to claim 11, WANG discloses, wherein the transmitter performs a transmission of a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) to the base station (Figures 1, 3, 7, and associated text, [77]-[78], [90]-[92], [122], [134]-[136], [148]-[149]). .
As to claim 12, WANG discloses, a receiver that receives, from the base station, a Synchronization Signal/Physical Broadcast Channel Block (SSB) and a Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) (Figures 1, 3, 7, and associated text, [77]-[78], [90]-[92], [122], [134]-[136], [148]-[149]).
Claim 14 corresponds to the method claim of the Base station claim 1; therefore, it is rejected under the same rationale as in the Base station claim 1 shown above.
The prior at cited in this Office action is WANG et al. US 2023/0156751 A1.
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 HAI V NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-3901. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 6:00AM -3:30PM.
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, Kevin Pan can be reached at 571-272-7855. 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.
/HAI V NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2649
