Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/751,732

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTING PDCCH, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSMITTING PDCCH, DEVICE, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

Non-Final OA §102§103
Filed
Jun 24, 2024
Priority
Dec 31, 2021 — continuation of PCTCN2021143899
Examiner
SOLINSKY, PETER G
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Guangdong OPPO Mobile Telecommunications Corp., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
89%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
91%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 89% — above average
89%
Career Allowance Rate
625 granted / 700 resolved
+29.3% vs TC avg
Minimal +2% lift
Without
With
+2.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
2y 0m
Avg Prosecution
15 currently pending
Career history
714
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.4%
-38.6% vs TC avg
§103
68.5%
+28.5% vs TC avg
§102
10.7%
-29.3% vs TC avg
§112
2.0%
-38.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 700 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103
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 § 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 - 3, 5 - 11, and 13 - 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Takeda, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2021/0410120. 1. A method for detecting a physical downlink control channel PDCCH, applicable to a terminal, the method comprising: performing a PDCCH detection based on a carrier combination, wherein the carrier combination comprises one or more carriers (base station configuration information indicating one or more search space for the UE to receive DCI (which is transmitted on PDCCH), DCI will schedule two or more component carriers from the set of component carriers, [0005]). 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the carrier combination is preconfigured by a higher layer signaling (search space may be based on RRC signaling, [0023]). 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more carriers in the carrier combination are configured with a same subcarrier spacing (carriers may have the same numerology, [0071]). 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein performing the PDCCH detection based on the carrier combination comprises: performing a PDCCH blind detection based on a PDCCH configuration defined by a network device for the carrier combination (the blind decoding budget will not be affected by the single DCI, [0088]). 6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: receiving the PDCCH configuration corresponding to the carrier combination from the network device (base station configuration information indicating one or more search space for the UE to receive DCI (which is transmitted on PDCCH), DCI will schedule two or more component carriers from the set of component carriers, [0005]). 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the PDCCH configuration corresponding to the carrier combination comprises: a search space set corresponding to the carrier combination (search space may be based on RRC signaling, [0023]). 8. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: determining a scheduled carrier combination based on a value of a carrier indicator field CIF carried in the PDCCH in a case that the PDCCH blind detection is successful (UE may determine the two or more component carriers based on the monitored search space and the CIF within the DCI, (Abstract)). 9. A terminal, comprising: a processor (see Fig. 10)r; a transceiver connected to the processor; and a memory configured to store one or more instructions executable by the processor; wherein the processor, when loading and executing the one or more instructions, causes the terminal to: perform a physical downlink control channel PDCCH detection based on a carrier combination, wherein the carrier combination comprises one or more carriers (base station configuration information indicating one or more search space for the UE to receive DCI (which is transmitted on PDCCH), DCI will schedule two or more component carriers from the set of component carriers, [0005]). 10. The terminal according to claim 9, wherein the carrier combination is preconfigured by a higher layer signaling (search space may be based on RRC signaling, [0023]). 11. The terminal according to claim 9, wherein the one or more carriers in the carrier combination are configured with a same subcarrier spacing (carriers may have the same numerology, [0071]). 13. The terminal according to claim 9, wherein the processor, when loading and executing the one or more instructions, causes the terminal to: perform a PDCCH blind detection based on a PDCCH configuration defined by a network device for the carrier combination (the blind decoding budget will not be affected by the single DCI, [0088]). 14. The terminal according to claim 13, wherein the processor, when loading and executing the one or more instructions, causes the terminal to: receive the PDCCH configuration corresponding to the carrier combination from the network device (base station configuration information indicating one or more search space for the UE to receive DCI (which is transmitted on PDCCH), DCI will schedule two or more component carriers from the set of component carriers, [0005]). 15. The terminal according to claim 14, wherein the PDCCH configuration corresponding to the carrier combination comprises: a search space set corresponding to the carrier combination (search space may be based on RRC signaling, [0023]). 16. The terminal according to claim 13, wherein the processor, when loading and executing the one or more instructions, causes the terminal to: determine a scheduled carrier combination based on a value of a carrier indicator field CIF carried in the PDCCH in a case that the PDCCH blind detection is successful (UE may determine the two or more component carriers based on the monitored search space and the CIF within the DCI, (Abstract)). 17. A network device, comprising: a processor (see Fig. 10); a transceiver connected to the processor; and a memory configured to store one or more instructions executable by the processor; wherein the processor, when loading and executing the one or more instructions, causes the network device to: transmit a PDCCH based on a carrier combination, wherein the carrier combination comprises one or more carriers (base station configuration information indicating one or more search space for the UE to receive DCI (which is transmitted on PDCCH), DCI will schedule two or more component carriers from the set of component carriers, [0005]). 18. The network device according to claim 17, wherein the carrier combination is preconfigured by a higher layer signaling (search space may be based on RRC signaling, [0023]). 19. The network device according to claim 17, wherein the one or more carriers in the carrier combination are configured with a same subcarrier spacing (carriers may have the same numerology, [0071]). 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. The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows: 1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art. 2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue. 3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art. 4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness. Claim(s) 4, 12, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takeda as applied to claims 1, 9, and 17 above, and further in view of Huang, U.S. Patent No. 12,641,581. Takeda teaches scheduling multiple carriers in a wireless communications systems. Takeda does not teach selecting such carriers based on a PUCCH group. However, Huang teaches selecting carriers based on a PUCCH group. It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art at the time of filing to modify the teachings of Takeda to incorporate the known technique of selecting carriers based on a PUCCH group as taught by Huang in order to obtain the predictable result of more efficient carrier selection. The combination teaches: 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more carriers in the carrier combination are configured with a same physical uplink control channel PUCCH group (the UE may select component carriers based on a PUCCH group, col. 16 lines 9 – 37, Huang). 12. The terminal according to claim 9, wherein the one or more carriers in the carrier combination are configured with a same physical uplink control channel PUCCH group (the UE may select component carriers based on a PUCCH group, col. 16 lines 9 – 37, Huang). 20. The network device according to claim 17, wherein the one or more carriers in the carrier combination are configured with a same physical uplink control channel PUCCH group (the UE may select component carriers based on a PUCCH group, col. 16 lines 9 – 37, Huang). Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PETER G SOLINSKY whose telephone number is (571)270-7216. The examiner can normally be reached M - Th, 6:30 A - 5:00 P. 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, Pankaj Kumar can be reached at 571-272-3011. 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. PETER G. SOLINSKY Examiner Art Unit 2463 /Peter G Solinsky/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2463
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Prosecution Timeline

Jun 24, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 03, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §103 (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
89%
Grant Probability
91%
With Interview (+2.0%)
2y 0m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 700 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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