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 Action is in response to Applicant’s amendment filed April 13, 2026. Claims 1, 5-8, 10-13, 15-18, and 20 are pending in the present application.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
Claims 1, 5-8, 10-13, 15-18, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the enablement requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to enable one skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and/or use the invention.
Claim 1 recites determining a contention window for a sub-band among multiple sub-bands. based on hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledgement (HARO-ACK) feedbacks corresponding to physical downlink shared channels (PDSCHs) in a reference duration. wherein, in case that a first PDSCH that partially but not fully overlaps with the sub-band and a second PDSCH that fully overlaps with the sub-band are in the reference duration, both a first HARO-ACK feedback corresponding to the first PDSCH and a second HARO-ACK feedback corresponding to the second PDSCH are used for determining the contention window for the sub-band.
Claim 6 recites determine a contention window for a sub-band among multiple sub-bands. based on hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledgement (HARO-ACK) feedbacks corresponding to physical downlink shared channels (PDSCHs) in a reference duration. wherein, in case that a first PDSCH that partially but not fully overlaps with the sub-band and a second PDSCH that fully overlaps with the sub-band are in the reference duration, both a first HARO-ACK feedback corresponding to the first PDSCH and a second HARO-ACK feedback corresponding to the second PDSCH are used for determining the contention window for the sub-band.
The present Application claims priority of previously filed Application 16/799,309. Application 16/799,309 discloses a contention windows is determined based on NACK feedback (see for example, page 54, paragraph of lines 10-16). However, there is no disclosure of a single contention window for a sub-band being determined based on multiple HARQ feed backs corresponding to different PDSCHs including a first PDSCH fully overlapping and a second PDSCH partially overlapping with the sub-band.
Further claim 11 recites transmitting, to a base station (BS), hybrid automatic repeat request- acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedbacks corresponding to physical downlink shared channels (PDSCHs) in a reference duration, wherein the PDSCHs in the reference duration include a first PDSCH that partially but not fully overlaps with a sub-band among multiple sub-bands and a second PDSCH that fully overlaps with the sub-band … in case that the first PDSCH that partially but not fully overlaps with the sub- band and the second PDSCH that fully overlaps with the sub-band are is in the reference duration, both a first HARQ-ACK feedback corresponding to the first PDSCH and a second HARO-ACK feedback corresponding to the second PDSCH are that partially but not fully overlaps with the sub band is used for determination of a contention window for the sub-band,
and claim 16 recites transmits, to a base station (BS), hybrid automatic repeat request- acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedbacks corresponding to physical downlink shared channels (PDSCHs) in a reference duration, wherein the PDSCHs in the reference duration include a first PDSCH that partially but not fully overlaps with a sub-band among multiple sub-bands and a second PDSCH that fully overlaps with the sub-band … in case that the first PDSCH that partially but not fully overlaps with the sub- band and the second PDSCH that fully overlaps with the sub-band are is in the reference duration, both a first HARQ-ACK feedback corresponding to the first PDSCH and a second HARO-ACK feedback corresponding to the second PDSCH are that partially but not fully overlaps with the sub band is used for determination of a contention window for the sub-band.
Similar to claims 1 and 6 above, Application 16/799,309 discloses an UE transmitting NACK feedback to a BS. A contention windows is determined based on NACK feedback (see for example, page 54, paragraph of lines 10-16). However, there is no disclosure of an UE transmitting multiple HARQ feedbacks corresponding to different PDSCHs including a first PDSCH fully overlapping and a second PDSCH partially overlapping with the sub-band, and a single contention window for a sub-band being determined based on the multiple HARQ feed backs including both the first PDSCH fully overlapping and second PDSCH partially overlapping with the sub-band, and a single contention window for a sub-band.
Claims 5-8, 10, 12-13, 15, 17-18, and 20 are rejected as being dependent upon claims 1, 6, 11 and 16 above.
To overcome the rejections Applicant is welcome to provide support from the specification.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 5-8, 10-13, 15-18, and 20 have been considered but are moot in view of new ground of rejection.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Park et al. (US 2018/0242364) teach scenarios for determining CW based on HARQ responses.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 QUOC THAI NGOC VU whose telephone number is (571)270-5901. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 9:30AM-6:00PM.
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/QUOC THAI N VU/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2642
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