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 .
Status of the Application
This Office action is in response to the amendment and remarks filed 08/12/2026. Claims 1, 4, 5, 8, 11, 13, 16, 17 and 20 have been amended; no claims have been added; claims 2, 3, 15, 18 and 19 have been cancelled. Claims 1, 4-14, 16, 17 and 20 are pending and are examined herein. The rejection of claims 1, 9, 10 and 17 under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) is withdrawn.
Applicant’s amendment of independent claims 1 and 17, which added that the overlapping resource comprises at least a part of where a PDCCH resource and/or CORESET overlaps a cell reference signal (CRS) resource, and of independent claim 13, which added that the first cell is a Pcell or a PScell and the second cell is a Scell and that a first carrier indication information n_CI is a value of the carrier indicator field when the Scell is configured with CrossCarrierSchedulingConfig and a carrier indicator field, necessitated the new grounds of rejection presented in this Office action, including the rejection of claims 13, 14 and 16 under 35 U.S.C. 112(b). THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks, page 17, paragraph 5, filed 08/12/2026, with respect to claims 1, 9, 10 and 17 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) of claims 1, 9, 10 and 17 has been withdrawn. Claims 1 and 17 now introduce “an overlapping resource”, which provides antecedent basis for “the overlapping resource” in claims 1, 9, 10 and 17.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 4-12, 17 and 20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
With respect to Applicant’s argument that “neither Hamidi-Sepehr nor Mondal, whether considered alone or in any combination, discloses or suggests this particular type of overlapping resource, nor do they disclose the corresponding first/second behaviors conditioned on such CRS-related resource overlap” (Remarks, page 19, paragraph 8), the new ground applies Seo, which teaches a UE that does not monitor a PDCCH candidate when a resource overlapping the LTE cell-specific reference signal is among the resource elements of that candidate (Seo, para [0202] “When the LTE CRS resource indicated by the network overlap the PDCCH monitoring occasion, the UE does not monitor the corresponding PDCCH candidate if there is a resource overlapping the LTE CRS resource among the resource elements in the PDCCH candidate”), as set forth in the rejection of claim 1 below.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 13, 14 and 16 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
In regard to Applicant’s argument that “This scheduling direction is entirely opposite to that of claim 13, where an SCell operates as the scheduling cell and the PCell is the scheduled cell” (Remarks, page 23, paragraph 8), the new ground does not rely on Khoshnevisan. It relies on Li for scheduling on the PCell from the scheduling SCell, the arrangement Applicant identifies as the claimed one, and on TS 38.213 for the carrier indicator field value. TS 38.213 defines that value for the serving cell on which PDCCH is monitored, whichever cell that is (TS 38.213, clause 10.1, pg.114: “n_CI is the carrier indicator field value if the UE is configured with a carrier indicator field by CrossCarrierSchedulingConfig for the serving cell on which PDCCH is monitored; otherwise, including for any CSS, n_CI = 0”), so the rule applies to Li’s scheduling SCell without any reversal of direction.
As to Applicant’s argument that “In amended claim 13, the CIF serves as a basis for determining control resources” (Remarks, page 24, paragraph 2), TS 38.213 determines the CCE indexes of the PDCCH candidates of each search space set from the carrier indicator field value (TS 38.213, clause 10.1, pg. 114: “For a search space set s associated with CORESET p, the CCE indexes for aggregation level L corresponding to PDCCH candidate . . . of the search space set in slot . . . for an active DL BWP of a serving cell corresponding to carrier indicator field value n_CI are given by”), which is the determination of the control resource based on the carrier information that claim 13 recites, as set forth in the rejection of claim 13 below.
Applicant’s amendment of independent claims 1 and 17 to recite that the overlapping resource comprises at least a part of where a PDCCH resource and/or CORESET overlaps a cell reference signal (CRS) resource, and of independent claim 13 to recite the Pcell and Scell and a first carrier indication information n_CI that is a value of the carrier indicator field, necessitated the new grounds of rejection set forth below: claims 13, 14 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b), claims 1, 4-12, 17 and 20 are rejected over Seo, and claims 13, 14 and 16 are rejected over Li in view of TS 38.213.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/29/2026 was filed after the mailing date of the Non-Final Office action on 05/12/2026. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner
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.
Claims 13, 14 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claim 13 recites “first carrier indication information” as one item of the first carrier information for self-scheduling on the first cell, and the amendment then recites “a first carrier indication information n_CI”, which is a value of the carrier indicator field when the Scell of the terminal is configured with CrossCarrierSchedulingConfig and a carrier indicator field.
The later recitation is introduced with the indefinite article although an element of the same name is already recited, so it is unclear whether claim 13 recites one first carrier indication information or two. If they are one, the first carrier information for self-scheduling on the Pcell takes the value of a carrier indicator field configured for the Scell; if they are two, the later one is the carrier indication information of the Scell. The metes and bounds of claim 13 therefore cannot be determined. Claims 14 and 16 depend on claim 13 and are rejected for the same reason; claim 16 further recites “n_CI”, whose antecedent in claim 13 is unclear for the same reason.
For purpose of examination under 35 U.S.C. 103 below, the later recitation is read as the carrier indication information n_CI of the Scell that is configured with CrossCarrierSchedulingConfig and a carrier indicator field, which is consistent with claim 16, where n_CI is 0 for self-scheduling on the Pcell; “n_CI” in claim 16 is read as the first carrier indication information for self-scheduling on the Pcell. This rejection is necessitated by Applicant’s amendment of claim 13.
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)(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, 4-12, 17 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Seo (US 2022/0264464 A1).
Regarding claim 1, (Currently Amended) Seo discloses: A resource determining method, comprising: determining, by a terminal, a target resource, wherein the target resource comprises a resource object associated with an overlapping resource, wherein the resource object comprises a candidate physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or a control resource set (CORESET);, because Seo teaches the UE determining whether it must monitor the PDCCH at a monitoring occasion by checking whether a resource element of each PDCCH candidate overlaps a resource element of the LTE CRS, which means that the UE (i.e., “a terminal” as claimed) determines a target resource comprising a resource object, the PDCCH candidate, associated with an overlapping resource: (Seo, para [0203] “That is, in the monitoring of the PDCCH candidate in the slot, when at least one resource element of the PDCCH candidate on the serving cell overlaps at least one resource element of ‘lte-CRS-ToMatchAround’, the UE does not need to monitor the PDCCH candidate” . . . para [0222] “The UE determines whether the first PDCCH monitoring for detecting the wake-up signal is required at the monitoring occasion”).
In addition, Seo discloses: the terminal performs on the target resource: a first behavior related to at least one of reception or monitoring; or a second behavior related to at least one of non-reception or non-monitoring;, as Seo describes the UE not monitoring the PDCCH candidate whose resource elements include a resource overlapping the LTE CRS or, alternatively, monitoring the CORESET for the wake up signal with rate matching for the resource directly overlapping the LTE CRS, such that the terminal performs on the target resource a first behavior related to monitoring or a second behavior related to non-monitoring: (Seo, para [0202] “When the LTE CRS resource indicated by the network overlap the PDCCH monitoring occasion, the UE does not monitor the corresponding PDCCH candidate if there is a resource overlapping the LTE CRS resource among the resource elements in the PDCCH candidate” . . . para [0255] “For example, when the WUS monitoring occasion and the LTE CRS resource overlap, rate matching for the resource directly overlapping with the LTE CRS may be considered”).
Furthermore, Seo discloses: the resource object associated with the overlapping resource comprises the resource object where the overlapping resource is located;, since Seo explains that the UE does not monitor the PDCCH candidate when the overlapping resource lies among the resource elements of that candidate, whereby the resource object associated with the overlapping resource comprises the resource object where the overlapping resource is located: (Seo, para [0202] “When the LTE CRS resource indicated by the network overlap the PDCCH monitoring occasion, the UE does not monitor the corresponding PDCCH candidate if there is a resource overlapping the LTE CRS resource among the resource elements in the PDCCH candidate”).
Moreover, Seo discloses: the overlapping resource comprises at least a part of where a PDCCH resource and/or CORESET overlaps a cell reference signal (CRS) resource;, in that Seo shows the LTE cell-specific reference signal (CRS) resource (i.e., “a cell reference signal (CRS) resource” as claimed) overlapping the monitoring occasion, and at least one resource element of the PDCCH candidate overlapping at least one resource element of the configured LTE CRS pattern, with the result that the overlapping resource comprises at least a part of where a PDCCH resource and/or CORESET overlaps a cell reference signal (CRS) resource: (Seo, para [0201] “Case 3) A case that the WUS monitoring occasion overlaps the LTE cell-specific reference signal (CRS) resource (lte-CRS-ToMatchAround) indicated by the network” . . . para [0203] “That is, in the monitoring of the PDCCH candidate in the slot, when at least one resource element of the PDCCH candidate on the serving cell overlaps at least one resource element of ‘lte-CRS-ToMatchAround’, the UE does not need to monitor the PDCCH candidate”).
In addition, Seo discloses: wherein the first behavior related to at least one of reception or monitoring performed by the terminal on the target resource comprises at least one of the following: monitoring the target resource; receiving the target resource; assuming that the target resource is used for transmission of at least one of a reference signal (RS), a downlink control channel, or a downlink control signal; or determining that the target resource is used for transmission of at least one of an RS, a downlink control channel, or a downlink control signal,, given that Seo sets out the wake up signal being carried on the PDCCH, so that monitoring for it is PDCCH monitoring, and the UE monitoring the CORESET for the wake up signal with rate matching or puncturing around the resources that overlap the LTE CRS, so that the first behavior comprises monitoring the target resource: (Seo, para [0168] “This DCI format is transmitted through the PDCCH. Accordingly, the WUS monitoring may be expressed as one of PDCCH monitoring” . . . para [0255] “If some resources of the CORESET indicated for WUS monitoring cannot be used for WUS transmission for reasons such as transmission direction, SSB, LTE CRS, etc., rate matching or puncturing for a corresponding resource may be considered” . . . para [0255] “For example, when the WUS monitoring occasion and the LTE CRS resource overlap, rate matching for the resource directly overlapping with the LTE CRS may be considered”).
Furthermore, Seo discloses: wherein the second behavior related to at least one of non-reception or non-monitoring performed by the terminal on the target resource comprises at least one of the following: refraining from monitoring the target resource; refraining from receiving the target resource; assuming that the target resource is not used for transmission of at least one of an RS, a downlink control channel, or a downlink control signal; or determining that the target resource is not used for transmission of at least one of an RS, a downlink control channel, or a downlink control signal, because Seo teaches the UE not monitoring the PDCCH candidate when a resource overlapping the LTE CRS is among its resource elements, and not performing the PDCCH monitoring at a monitoring occasion where that monitoring is not required, which means that the second behavior comprises refraining from monitoring the target resource: (Seo, para [0202] “When the LTE CRS resource indicated by the network overlap the PDCCH monitoring occasion, the UE does not monitor the corresponding PDCCH candidate if there is a resource overlapping the LTE CRS resource among the resource elements in the PDCCH candidate” . . . para [0227] “If the first PDCCH monitoring for detecting the wake-up signal is not required at the monitoring occasion, the UE does not perform the first PDCCH monitoring at the monitoring occasion”).
Claim 1 recites the first behavior and the second behavior as alternatives joined by “or”, and recites each behavior as a list of alternatives. The alternative relied on is the second behavior of refraining from monitoring the target resource; Seo also teaches the first behavior of monitoring the target resource, as mapped above.
Regarding claim 4, which depends on claim 1, (Currently Amended) Seo discloses: The method according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring the target resource comprises: monitoring at least one of the RS, the downlink control channel, or the downlink control signal on the target resource; and/or the receiving the target resource comprises: receiving at least one of the RS, the downlink control channel, or the downlink control signal on the target resource, in that Seo shows the wake up signal being transmitted through the PDCCH and the UE monitoring the CORESET indicated for WUS monitoring, with rate matching for the resource that overlaps the LTE CRS, with the result that the monitoring the target resource comprises monitoring the downlink control channel on the target resource: (Seo, para [0168] “This DCI format is transmitted through the PDCCH. Accordingly, the WUS monitoring may be expressed as one of PDCCH monitoring” . . . para [0255] “If some resources of the CORESET indicated for WUS monitoring cannot be used for WUS transmission for reasons such as transmission direction, SSB, LTE CRS, etc., rate matching or puncturing for a corresponding resource may be considered” . . . para [0255] “For example, when the WUS monitoring occasion and the LTE CRS resource overlap, rate matching for the resource directly overlapping with the LTE CRS may be considered”).
Claim 4 recites its alternatives joined by “or” and “and/or”. The alternative relied on is monitoring the downlink control channel on the target resource.
Regarding claim 5, which depends on claim 1, (Currently Amended) Seo discloses: The method according to claim 1, wherein the refraining from monitoring the target resource comprises: refraining from monitoring at least one of the RS, the downlink control channel, or the downlink control signal on the target resource; and/or the refraining from receiving the target resource comprises: refraining from receiving at least one of the RS, the downlink control channel, or the downlink control signal on the target resource, given that Seo sets out the UE not monitoring the PDCCH candidate whose resource elements include a resource overlapping the LTE CRS, so that the refraining from monitoring the target resource comprises refraining from monitoring the downlink control channel on the target resource: (Seo, para [0202] “When the LTE CRS resource indicated by the network overlap the PDCCH monitoring occasion, the UE does not monitor the corresponding PDCCH candidate if there is a resource overlapping the LTE CRS resource among the resource elements in the PDCCH candidate”).
Claim 5 recites its alternatives joined by “or” and “and/or”. The alternative relied on is refraining from monitoring the downlink control channel on the target resource.
Regarding claim 6, which depends on claim 1, (Original) Seo discloses: The method according to claim 1, wherein the first behavior related to at least one of reception or monitoring, or the second behavior related to at least one of non-reception or non-monitoring performed by the terminal on the target resource comprises: in a case that the target resource meets a preset condition, the terminal performs on the target resource: the first behavior or the second behavior, because Seo teaches the UE not monitoring a PDCCH candidate when at least one of its resource elements overlaps a resource element of the configured LTE CRS pattern, which means that in a case that the target resource meets a preset condition, that overlap, the terminal performs the second behavior on the target resource: (Seo, para [0202] “When the LTE CRS resource indicated by the network overlap the PDCCH monitoring occasion, the UE does not monitor the corresponding PDCCH candidate if there is a resource overlapping the LTE CRS resource among the resource elements in the PDCCH candidate” . . . para [0203] “That is, in the monitoring of the PDCCH candidate in the slot, when at least one resource element of the PDCCH candidate on the serving cell overlaps at least one resource element of ‘lte-CRS-ToMatchAround’, the UE does not need to monitor the PDCCH candidate”).
Regarding claim 7, which depends on claim 6, (Original) Seo discloses: The method according to claim 6, wherein the preset condition comprises a first condition, and the first condition comprises at least one of the following: the target resource is a terminal specific resource, or the target resource is a dedicated resource, or the target resource is a resource for unicast transmission; the target resource is used for terminal specific PDCCH transmission, or the target resource is used for dedicated PDCCH transmission, or the target resource is used for unicast PDCCH transmission; the target resource is used for terminal specific downlink control information (DCI) transmission, or the target resource is used for dedicated DCI transmission, or the target resource is used for unicast DCI transmission; the target resource is used for terminal specific control channel element (CCE) transmission, or the target resource is used for dedicated CCE transmission, or the target resource is used for CCE for unicast transmission; an aggregation level corresponding to the target resource is greater than or equal to a first threshold; a bundle size corresponding to the target resource is greater than or equal to a second threshold; a resource quantity of the target resource is equal to or less than a third threshold; a resource proportion corresponding to the target resource is equal to or less than a fourth threshold; a resource quantity of at least a part of a non-target resource is greater than or equal to a fifth threshold; a resource proportion of at least a part of a non-target resource is equal to or exceeds a sixth threshold; a code rate corresponding to the target resource is equal to or less than a seventh threshold; a DCI size corresponding to the target resource is equal to or less than an eighth threshold; the target resource is within a multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) resource or a normal subframe; a value of a precoding granularity control parameter is set to all contiguous RBs or a precoding granularity; there is no overlapping on at least a part of the target resource; it is assumed that at least a part of the target resource does not need to be or is not shifted; it is assumed that at least a part of the target resource does not need to be or is not punctured; a quantity of resources that need to be or are shifted is equal to or less than a ninth threshold; a quantity of resources that need to be or are punctured is equal to or less than a tenth threshold; a proportion of resources that need to be or are shifted is equal to or less than an eleventh threshold; a proportion of resources that need to be or are punctured is equal to or less than a twelfth threshold; a quantity of resources that do not need to be or are not shifted is equal to or exceeds a thirteenth threshold; a quantity of resources that do not need to be or are not punctured is equal to or exceeds a fourteenth threshold; a proportion of resources that do not need to be or are not shifted is equal to or exceeds a fifteenth threshold; or a proportion of resources that do not need to be or are not punctured is equal to or exceeds a sixteenth threshold, as Seo describes the CORESET indicated for WUS monitoring of which only some resources cannot be used because of the LTE CRS, and the UE monitoring that CORESET with rate matching for the resource directly overlapping the LTE CRS, such that the remaining part of the CORESET, which the UE monitors, has no overlapping and the target resource meets a first condition that there is no overlapping on at least a part of the target resource: (Seo, para [0255] “If some resources of the CORESET indicated for WUS monitoring cannot be used for WUS transmission for reasons such as transmission direction, SSB, LTE CRS, etc., rate matching or puncturing for a corresponding resource may be considered” . . . para [0255] “For example, when the WUS monitoring occasion and the LTE CRS resource overlap, rate matching for the resource directly overlapping with the LTE CRS may be considered”).
Claim 7 recites its alternatives joined by “or”. The alternative relied on is that there is no overlapping on at least a part of the target resource.
Regarding claim 8, which depends on claim 7, (Currently Amended) Seo discloses: The method according to claim 7, wherein in at least one of the following cases, a network side device configures, a protocol specifies, or the terminal determines that the target resource meets the first condition: at least one of the RS, the downlink control channel, or the downlink control signal needs to be or is punctured; at least one of the RS, the downlink control channel, or the downlink control signal needs to be or is shifted; a resource of at least one of the RS, the downlink control channel, or the downlink control signal is determined based on an offset; a resource of at least one of the RS, the downlink control channel, or the downlink control signal is determined based on the another resource; or at least one of the RS, the downlink control channel, or the downlink control signal possibly has a resource conflict with the another resource, since Seo explains the LTE CRS resource being indicated to the UE by the network and the resources of the CORESET indicated for WUS monitoring that cannot be used because of the LTE CRS being rate matched or punctured, whereby, in the case that the downlink control channel needs to be or is punctured, the terminal monitoring that CORESET determines that the target resource meets the first condition: (Seo, para [0201] “Case 3) A case that the WUS monitoring occasion overlaps the LTE cell-specific reference signal (CRS) resource (lte-CRS-ToMatchAround) indicated by the network” . . . para [0255] “If some resources of the CORESET indicated for WUS monitoring cannot be used for WUS transmission for reasons such as transmission direction, SSB, LTE CRS, etc., rate matching or puncturing for a corresponding resource may be considered”; Seo necessarily so, because a UE that monitors the CORESET in which the resources overlapping the LTE CRS indicated by the network are rate matched or punctured must identify those resources, and therefore the remaining resources that have no overlapping, in order to receive the PDCCH (see Seo, para [0255])).
Claim 8 recites its alternatives joined by “or”. The alternatives relied on are the case that the downlink control channel needs to be or is punctured, and the terminal determining that the target resource meets the first condition.
Regarding claim 9, which depends on claim 6, (Original) Seo discloses: The method according to claim 6, wherein the preset condition comprises a second condition, and the second condition comprises at least one of the following: the target resource is a cell specific resource, or the target resource is a common resource, or the target resource is a resource for broadcast transmission; the target resource is used for cell specific PDCCH transmission, or the target resource is used for common PDCCH transmission, or the target resource is used for broadcast PDCCH transmission; the target resource is used for cell specific DCI transmission, or the target resource is used for common DCI transmission, or the target resource is used for broadcast DCI transmission; the target resource is used for cell specific CCE transmission, or the target resource is used for common CCE transmission, or the target resource is used for CCE for broadcast transmission; an aggregation level corresponding to the target resource is less than or equal to a seventeenth threshold; a bundle size corresponding to the target resource is less than or equal to an eighteenth threshold; a resource quantity of the target resource is equal to or exceeds a nineteenth threshold; a resource proportion corresponding to the target resource is equal to or exceeds a twentieth threshold; a resource quantity of at least a part of a non-target resource is equal to or less than a twenty-first threshold; a resource proportion of at least a part of a non-target resource is equal to or less than a twenty-second threshold; a code rate corresponding to the target resource is equal to or exceeds a twenty-third threshold; a DCI size corresponding to the target resource is equal to or exceeds a twenty-fourth threshold; the target resource is within a non-MBSFN resource; a value of a precoding granularity control parameter is set to a precoding granularity or all contiguous RBs; there is overlapping on at least a part or all of the target resource; there is the overlapping resource; it is assumed that at least a part of the target resource needs to be or is shifted; it is assumed that at least a part of the target resource needs to be or is punctured; a quantity of resources that need to be or are shifted is equal to or exceeds a twenty-fifth threshold; a quantity of resources that need to be or are punctured is equal to or exceeds a twenty-sixth threshold; a proportion of resources that need to be or are shifted is equal to or exceeds a twenty-seventh threshold; a proportion of resources that need to be or are punctured is equal to or exceeds a twenty-eighth threshold; a quantity of resources that do not need to be or are not shifted is equal to or less than a twenty-ninth threshold; a quantity of resources that do not need to be or are not punctured is equal to or less than a thirtieth threshold; a proportion of resources that do not need to be or are not shifted is equal to or less than a thirty-first threshold; or a proportion of resources that do not need to be or are not punctured is equal to or less than a thirty-second threshold, in that Seo shows the UE not monitoring the PDCCH candidate when at least one of its resource elements overlaps a resource element of the LTE CRS, with the result that the preset condition comprises a second condition that there is overlapping on at least a part or all of the target resource, and that there is the overlapping resource: (Seo, para [0202] “When the LTE CRS resource indicated by the network overlap the PDCCH monitoring occasion, the UE does not monitor the corresponding PDCCH candidate if there is a resource overlapping the LTE CRS resource among the resource elements in the PDCCH candidate” . . . para [0203] “That is, in the monitoring of the PDCCH candidate in the slot, when at least one resource element of the PDCCH candidate on the serving cell overlaps at least one resource element of ‘lte-CRS-ToMatchAround’, the UE does not need to monitor the PDCCH candidate”).
Claim 9 recites its alternatives joined by “or”. The alternatives relied on are that there is overlapping on at least a part or all of the target resource and that there is the overlapping resource.
Regarding claim 10, which depends on claim 4, (Original) Seo discloses: The method according to claim 4, wherein in a case that the target resource comprises at least one of the overlapping resource or the resource object associated with the overlapping resource, the terminal performs, for the target resource based on first information, the first behavior related to at least one of monitoring or reception, wherein the first information indicates or comprises at least one of the following: a first preset aggregation level; a first preset bundle size; a first preset aggregation level offset; a first preset bundle size offset; a first preset code rate; a first preset DCI size; a first preset quantity of detection times; a first preset quantity of reception times; a first preset maximum aggregation level; a first preset minimum aggregation level; a first preset maximum bundle size; a first preset minimum bundle size; a first preset aggregation level maximum offset; a first preset aggregation level minimum offset; a first preset bundle size maximum offset; a first preset bundle size minimum offset; a first preset maximum code rate; a first preset minimum code rate; a first preset maximum DCI size; a first preset minimum DCI size; a first preset maximum quantity of detection times; a first preset maximum quantity of reception times; a first preset minimum quantity of detection times; a first preset minimum quantity of reception times; the target resource is a cell specific resource, or the target resource is a common resource, or the target resource is a resource for broadcast transmission; the target resource is used for cell specific PDCCH transmission, or the target resource is used for common PDCCH transmission, or the target resource is used for broadcast PDCCH transmission; the target resource is used for cell specific DCI transmission, or the target resource is used for common DCI transmission, or the target resource is used for broadcast DCI transmission; the target resource is used for cell specific CCE transmission, or the target resource is used for common CCE transmission, or the target resource is used for CCE for broadcast transmission; a resource quantity of the target resource is equal to or less than a sixty-fifth threshold; a resource proportion corresponding to the target resource is equal to or less than a sixty-sixth threshold; a resource quantity of at least a part of a non-target resource is equal to or greater than a sixty-seventh threshold; a resource proportion of at least a part of a non-target resource is equal to or greater than a sixty-eighth threshold; a code rate corresponding to the target resource is equal to or less than a sixty-ninth threshold; a DCI size corresponding to the target resource is equal to or less than a seventieth threshold; the target resource is within an MBSFN resource; a value of a precoding granularity control parameter is set to a precoding granularity or all contiguous RBs; there is no overlapping on at least a part of the target resource; a first number of a downlink control signal repetition transmission; a first maximum number of a downlink control signal repetition transmission; a first minimum number of a downlink control signal repetition transmission; a first number of a downlink control channel repetition transmission; a first maximum number of a downlink control channel repetition transmission; a first minimum number of a downlink control channel repetition transmission; a first number of an RS repetition transmission; a first maximum number of an RS repetition transmission; or a first minimum number of an RS repetition transmission, given that Seo sets out the UE monitoring the CORESET indicated for WUS monitoring, with rate matching for the resource that overlaps the LTE CRS, at a monitoring occasion set by the message setting the search space set, and that message configuring the number of PDCCH candidates per aggregation level, so that the terminal performs the first behavior for the target resource based on first information that indicates a first preset aggregation level: (Seo, para [0168] “An occasion to monitor such a WUS may be determined by a message setting a search space (set)” . . . para [0174] “‘nrofCandidates’ indicates the number of PDCCH candidates per aggregation level. The number of candidates and aggregation levels configured here applies to all formats unless a particular value is specified or a format-specific value is provided” . . . para [0255] “If some resources of the CORESET indicated for WUS monitoring cannot be used for WUS transmission for reasons such as transmission direction, SSB, LTE CRS, etc., rate matching or puncturing for a corresponding resource may be considered” . . . para [0255] “For example, when the WUS monitoring occasion and the LTE CRS resource overlap, rate matching for the resource directly overlapping with the LTE CRS may be considered”).
Claim 10 recites its alternatives joined by “or”. The alternatives relied on are that the target resource comprises the resource object associated with the overlapping resource and that the first information indicates a first preset aggregation level.
Regarding claim 11, which depends on claim 10, (Currently Amended) Seo discloses: The method according to claim 10, wherein the first information is determined based on at least one of the following: other resource information; control resource set (CORESET) information; search space information; or resource information of overlapping between the another resource and at least one of the RS, the downlink control channel, or the downlink control signal; wherein the CORESET information comprises at least one of the following: a quantity of resources occupied by a CORESET, a CORESET quantity, a CORESET type, or a CORESET number; and/or the search space information comprises at least one of the following: a quantity of resources of a search space; a length of a monitoring occasion of the search space; a quantity of monitoring occasions of the search space; a location of the monitoring occasion of the search space; a length of a span of the search space; a quantity of spans of the search space; a location of the span of the search space; a search space period; a search space quantity; or a search space index; and/or the resource information of overlapping between the another resource and the at least one of the RS, the downlink control channel, or the downlink control signal comprises at least one of the following: a quantity of symbols of the overlapping part between the downlink control signal and at least one of the RS or the downlink control channel; a quantity of monitoring occasions of the overlapping part between the downlink control signal and at least one of the RS or the downlink control channel; a quantity of spans of the overlapping part between the downlink control signal and at least one of the RS or the downlink control channel; a quantity of search spaces of the overlapping part between the downlink control signal and at least one of the RS or the downlink control channel; or a quantity of CORESETs of the overlapping part between the downlink control signal and at least one of the RS or the downlink control channel, because Seo teaches the UE being provided, for each search space set, the search space set index, the association between the CORESET and that set and the number of PDCCH candidates per CCE aggregation level, which means that the first information is determined based on search space information comprising a search space index: (Seo, para [0131] “For each search space set, the UE may be provided with at least one of the following information” . . . para [0132] “1) search space set index s (0≤s<40), 2) an association between a CORESET p and the search space set s . . . 6) the number of PDCCH candidates per CCE aggregation level, 7) information indicating whether the search space set s is CSS or USS”).
Claim 11 recites its alternatives joined by “or” and “and/or”. The alternative relied on is search space information comprising a search space index.
Regarding claim 12, which depends on claim 1, (Original) Seo discloses: The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: obtaining a configuration of at least one of monitoring or reception corresponding to the target resource; wherein the configuration of the at least one of monitoring or reception indicates at least one of the following: a third preset aggregation level; a third preset bundle size; a third preset aggregation level offset; a third preset bundle size offset; a third preset code rate; a third preset DCI size; a third preset quantity of detection times; a third preset quantity of reception times; a third preset maximum aggregation level; a third preset minimum aggregation level; a third preset maximum bundle size; a third preset minimum bundle size; a third preset aggregation level maximum offset; a third preset aggregation level minimum offset; a third preset bundle size maximum offset; a third preset bundle size minimum offset; a third preset maximum code rate; a third preset minimum code rate; a third preset maximum DCI payload; a third preset minimum DCI payload; a third preset maximum quantity of detection times; a third preset maximum quantity of reception times; a third preset minimum quantity of detection times; a third preset minimum quantity of reception times; a resource quantity of the target resource; a resource quantity upper limit of the target resource; a resource quantity lower limit of the target resource; a resource proportion of the target resource; an overlapping resource upper limit of the target resource; an overlapping resource lower limit of the target resource; a resource quantity of the non-target resource; a resource quantity upper limit of the non-target resource; a resource quantity lower limit of the non-target resource; a resource proportion of the non-target resource; an overlapping resource upper limit of the non-target resource; an overlapping resource lower limit of the non-target resource; a code rate corresponding to the target resource; a code rate upper limit corresponding to the target resource; a code rate lower limit corresponding to the target resource; a DCI size of the target resource; a DCI size upper limit of the target resource; a DCI size lower limit of the target resource; or whether the target resource is within an MBSFN resource, as Seo describes the UE receiving a configuration message informing it of the monitoring occasion for the wake up signal, that occasion being determined by a message setting a search space set, and the search space set configuration giving the number of PDCCH candidates per CCE aggregation level, such that the method comprises obtaining a configuration of monitoring corresponding to the target resource that indicates a third preset aggregation level: (Seo, para [0132] “6) the number of PDCCH candidates per CCE aggregation level, 7) information indicating whether the search space set s is CSS or USS” . . . para [0168] “An occasion to monitor such a WUS may be determined by a message setting a search space (set)” . . . para [0174] “‘nrofCandidates’ indicates the number of PDCCH candidates per aggregation level. The number of candidates and aggregation levels configured here applies to all formats unless a particular value is specified or a format-specific value is provided” . . . para [0221] “the UE receives a configuration message informing of a monitoring occasion for detecting a wake up signal (WUS) (S181)”).
Claim 12 recites its alternatives joined by “or”. The alternative relied on is that the configuration indicates a third preset aggregation level.
Regarding claim 17, (Currently Amended) Seo discloses: A terminal, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a program or instructions that can be run on the processor, wherein the program or the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the terminal to perform: determining a target resource, wherein the target resource comprises a resource object associated with an overlapping resource, wherein the resource object comprises a candidate physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or a control resource set (CORESET);, as Seo describes a UE whose processor 2310 and memory 2330 may be the processor 102 and the memory 104 of the first wireless device, the memory 104 storing software code with instructions to perform the procedures of the disclosure under the control of the processor 102, and the UE checking whether a resource element of each PDCCH candidate overlaps a resource element of the LTE CRS, such that the terminal comprises a processor and a memory storing a program run on the processor to determine a target resource comprising a resource object, the PDCCH candidate, associated with an overlapping resource: (Seo, para [0203] “That is, in the monitoring of the PDCCH candidate in the slot, when at least one resource element of the PDCCH candidate on the serving cell overlaps at least one resource element of ‘lte-CRS-ToMatchAround’, the UE does not need to monitor the PDCCH candidate” . . . para [0222] “The UE determines whether the first PDCCH monitoring for detecting the wake-up signal is required at the monitoring occasion” . . . para [0273] “the memory 104 may store a software code including instructions to perform some or all of processes controlled by the processor 102 or to perform the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and/or operational flowcharts disclosed herein” . . . para [0299] “the wireless communication device, for example, a UE may include at least one of a processor 2310 such as a digital signal processor (DSP) or a microprocessor” . . . para [0300] “The processor 2310 can implement functions, procedures and methods described in the present description. The processor 2310 in FIG. 24 may be the processors 102 and 202 in FIG. 21” . . . para [0301] “The memory 2330 is connected to the processor 2310 and stores information related to operations of the processor. . . . The memory 2330 in FIG. 24 may be the memories 104 and 204 in FIG. 21”).
Moreover, Seo discloses: the terminal performs on the target resource: a first behavior related to at least one of reception or monitoring; or a second behavior related to at least one of non-reception or non-monitoring;, since Seo explains the UE not monitoring the PDCCH candidate whose resource elements include a resource overlapping the LTE CRS or, alternatively, monitoring the CORESET for the wake up signal with rate matching for the resource directly overlapping the LTE CRS, whereby the terminal performs on the target resource a first behavior related to monitoring or a second behavior related to non-monitoring: (Seo, para [0202] “When the LTE CRS resource indicated by the network overlap the PDCCH monitoring occasion, the UE does not monitor the corresponding PDCCH candidate if there is a resource overlapping the LTE CRS resource among the resource elements in the PDCCH candidate” . . . para [0255] “For example, when the WUS monitoring occasion and the LTE CRS resource overlap, rate matching for the resource directly overlapping with the LTE CRS may be considered”).
In addition, Seo discloses: the resource object associated with the overlapping resource comprises the resource object where the overlapping resource is located;, in that Seo shows that the UE does not monitor the PDCCH candidate when the overlapping resource lies among the resource elements of that candidate, with the result that the resource object associated with the overlapping resource comprises the resource object where the overlapping resource is located: (Seo, para [0202] “When the LTE CRS resource indicated by the network overlap the PDCCH monitoring occasion, the UE does not monitor the corresponding PDCCH candidate if there is a resource overlapping the LTE CRS resource among the resource elements in the PDCCH candidate”).
Furthermore, Seo discloses: the overlapping resource comprises at least a part of where a PDCCH resource and/or CORESET overlaps a cell reference signal (CRS) resource;, given that Seo sets out the LTE cell-specific reference signal (CRS) resource (i.e., “a cell reference signal (CRS) resource” as claimed) overlapping the monitoring occasion, and at least one resource element of the PDCCH candidate overlapping at least one resource element of the configured LTE CRS pattern, so that the overlapping resource comprises at least a part of where a PDCCH resource and/or CORESET overlaps a cell reference signal (CRS) resource: (Seo, para [0201] “Case 3) A case that the WUS monitoring occasion overlaps the LTE cell-specific reference signal (CRS) resource (lte-CRS-ToMatchAround) indicated by the network” . . . para [0203] “That is, in the monitoring of the PDCCH candidate in the slot, when at least one resource element of the PDCCH candidate on the serving cell overlaps at least one resource element of ‘lte-CRS-ToMatchAround’, the UE does not need to monitor the PDCCH candidate”).
Moreover, Seo discloses: wherein the first behavior related to at least one of reception or monitoring performed by the terminal on the target resource comprises at least one of the following: monitoring the target resource; receiving the target resource; assuming that the target resource is used for transmission of at least one of a reference signal (RS), a downlink control channel, or a downlink control signal; or determining that the target resource is used for transmission of at least one of an RS, a downlink control channel, or a downlink control signal,, because Seo teaches the wake up signal being carried on the PDCCH, so that monitoring for it is PDCCH monitoring, and the UE monitoring the CORESET for the wake up signal with rate matching or puncturing around the resources that overlap the LTE CRS, which means that the first behavior comprises monitoring the target resource: (Seo, para [0168] “This DCI format is transmitted through the PDCCH. Accordingly, the WUS monitoring may be expressed as one of PDCCH monitoring” . . . para [0255] “If some resources of the CORESET indicated for WUS monitoring cannot be used for WUS transmission for reasons such as transmission direction, SSB, LTE CRS, etc., rate matching or puncturing for a corresponding resource may be considered” . . . para [0255] “For example, when the WUS monitoring occasion and the LTE CRS resource overlap, rate matching for the resource directly overlapping with the LTE CRS may be considered”).
In addition, Seo discloses: wherein the second behavior related to at least one of non-reception or non-monitoring performed by the terminal on the target resource comprises at least one of the following: refraining from monitoring the target resource; refraining from receiving the target resource; assuming that the target resource is not used for transmission of at least one of an RS, a downlink control channel, or a downlink control signal; or determining that the target resource is not used for transmission of at least one of an RS, a downlink control channel, or a downlink control signal, as Seo describes the UE not monitoring the PDCCH candidate when a resource overlapping the LTE CRS is among its resource elements, and not performing the PDCCH monitoring at a monitoring occasion where that monitoring is not required, such that the second behavior comprises refraining from monitoring the target resource: (Seo, para [0202] “When the LTE CRS resource indicated by the network overlap the PDCCH monitoring occasion, the UE does not monitor the corresponding PDCCH candidate if there is a resource overlapping the LTE CRS resource among the resource elements in the PDCCH candidate” . . . para [0227] “If the first PDCCH monitoring for detecting the wake-up signal is not required at the monitoring occasion, the UE does not perform the first PDCCH monitoring at the monitoring occasion”).
Claim 17 recites the first behavior and the second behavior as alternatives joined by “or”, and recites each behavior as a list of alternatives. The alternative relied on is the second behavior of refraining from monitoring the target resource; Seo also teaches the first behavior of monitoring the target resource, as mapped above.
Regarding claim 20, which depends on claim 17, (Currently Amended) Seo discloses: The terminal according to claim 17, wherein when monitoring the target resource, the program or the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the terminal to perform: monitoring at least one of the RS, the downlink control channel, or the downlink control signal on the target resource; and/or the receiving the target resource comprises: receiving at least one of the RS, the downlink control channel, or the downlink control signal on the target resource, given that Seo sets out the wake up signal being transmitted through the PDCCH and the UE monitoring the CORESET indicated for WUS monitoring, with rate matching for the resource that overlaps the LTE CRS, so that, when monitoring the target resource, the terminal performs monitoring the downlink control channel on the target resource: (Seo, para [0168] “This DCI format is transmitted through the PDCCH. Accordingly, the WUS monitoring may be expressed as one of PDCCH monitoring” . . . para [0255] “If some resources of the CORESET indicated for WUS monitoring cannot be used for WUS transmission for reasons such as transmission direction, SSB, LTE CRS, etc., rate matching or puncturing for a corresponding resource may be considered” . . . para [0255] “For example, when the WUS monitoring occasion and the LTE CRS resource overlap, rate matching for the resource directly overlapping with the LTE CRS may be considered”).
Claim 20 recites its alternatives joined by “or” and “and/or”. The alternative relied on is monitoring the downlink control channel on the target resource.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claims 13, 14 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li (US 2021/0168774 A1) in view of TS 38.213 (ETSI TS 138 213 V16.6.0 (2021-08)).
Li was published on June 3, 2021, and TS 38.213 V16.6.0 was published by ETSI in August 2021, both before the effective filing date of January 10, 2022. Each qualifies as prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1).
Regarding claim 13, (Currently Amended) Li discloses: A resource monitoring method, comprising: determining, by a terminal, a control resource, wherein the control resource comprises at least one of the following: a first control resource for self-scheduling on a first cell or a second control resource for scheduling on the first cell from a second cell; and, since Li explains a UE whose transmissions on the PCell may be scheduled by a scheduling SCell, the UE being configured with search space sets of the PCell of which at least one is for self-scheduling and at least one is for cross-carrier scheduling, whereby the terminal determines a control resource comprising a first control resource for self-scheduling on a first cell and a second control resource for scheduling on the first cell from a second cell: (Li, para [0057] “For example, a PDCCH in common search space set (CSS) is still configured on PCell, while a PDCCH in UE specific search space set (USS) is configured on the scheduling SCell” . . . para [0117] “At least one of the configured search space sets is for cross-carrier scheduling, and at least one of the configured search space sets is for self-scheduling”).
Furthermore, Li discloses: monitoring, by the terminal, the control resource,, in that Li shows the UE detecting PDCCH on both the PCell and the scheduling SCell for the scheduling of a transmission on the PCell and decoding the PDCCH candidates on the scheduling SCell, with the result that the terminal monitors the control resource: (Li, para [0009] “In these embodiments, the UE may decode one or more of the PDCCH candidates on the scheduling SCell for a downlink control information (DCI) format” . . . para [0057] “it is expected that a UE needs to detect PDCCH on both PCell and the scheduling SCell for the scheduling of a transmission on PCell”).
Moreover, Li discloses: wherein the first cell is a Pcell or a primary secondary cell (PScell), and the second cell is a Scell,, given that Li sets out the scheduling SCell being an SCell that schedules a transmission on the PCell, so that the first cell is a Pcell and the second cell is a Scell: (Li, para [0009] “In these embodiments, the scheduling SCell may be an SCell that schedules a transmission on the PCell”).
Although Li teaches the UE detecting PDCCH in a common search space set configured on the PCell and in a UE specific search space set configured on the scheduling SCell for the scheduling of a transmission on the PCell: (Li, para [0057]), Li does not explicitly disclose that the first control resource is determined based on first carrier information for self-scheduling on the first cell, and that a first carrier indication information n_CI is a value of the carrier indicator field.
Nonetheless, Li in view of TS 38.213 discloses wherein the first control resource is determined based on first carrier information for self-scheduling on the first cell; and the first carrier information comprises at least one of the following: first carrier indication information or a first carrier indicator field (CIF); because TS 38.213 teaches that the CCE indexes of the PDCCH candidates of a search space set are given for the serving cell corresponding to the carrier indicator field value n_CI, and that n_CI is 0 for any CSS and whenever no carrier indicator field is configured for the serving cell on which the PDCCH is monitored, which means that the PDCCH candidates of the common search space set that the UE monitors on the PCell for self-scheduling on the first cell are determined based on first carrier information, the carrier indication information n_CI of 0 (TS 38.213, clause 10.1, “For a search space set s associated with CORESET p, the CCE indexes for aggregation level L corresponding to PDCCH candidate . . . of the search space set in slot . . . for an active DL BWP of a serving cell corresponding to carrier indicator field value n_CI are given by” . . . clause 10.1, “n_CI is the carrier indicator field value if the UE is configured with a carrier indicator field by CrossCarrierSchedulingConfig for the serving cell on which PDCCH is monitored; otherwise, including for any CSS, n_CI = 0”).
In addition, TS 38.213 discloses wherein when the terminal is configured with scheduling on the Pcell from the Scell, if the Scell of the terminal is configured with CrossCarrierSchedulingConfig and a carrier indicator field, a first carrier indication information n_CI is a value of the carrier indicator field as TS 38.213 describes that, when the UE is configured with a carrier indicator field by CrossCarrierSchedulingConfig for the serving cell on which the PDCCH is monitored, n_CI is that carrier indicator field value, the value indicated by CrossCarrierSchedulingConfig, such that, for the PDCCH candidates that the UE monitors on the scheduling SCell configured with CrossCarrierSchedulingConfig and a carrier indicator field, a first carrier indication information n_CI is a value of the carrier indicator field (TS 38.213, clause 10.1, “If a UE is configured with CrossCarrierSchedulingConfig for a serving cell the carrier indicator field value corresponds to the value indicated by CrossCarrierSchedulingConfig” . . . clause 10.1, “n_CI is the carrier indicator field value if the UE is configured with a carrier indicator field by CrossCarrierSchedulingConfig for the serving cell on which PDCCH is monitored; otherwise, including for any CSS, n_CI = 0”).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to determine the PDCCH candidates of the search space sets of Li’s PCell, both the self-scheduling sets on the PCell and the sets monitored on the scheduling SCell, from the carrier indicator field value n_CI as TS 38.213 specifies, in order to give the UE a defined location for the candidates of each set that it must search on two cells. Li describes an NR UE that monitors PDCCH for the PCell on both the PCell and the scheduling SCell and identifies efficient PDCCH design as a critical issue for this arrangement, and TS 38.213 is the NR specification of how a UE locates the candidates of a search space set for each scheduled serving cell, including the case of a carrier indicator field configured by CrossCarrierSchedulingConfig. Applying that known procedure to Li’s search space sets is the use of a known technique to improve a similar system in the same way, and it would have yielded the predictable result that the self-scheduling candidates of the PCell use n_CI of 0 and the candidates on the scheduling SCell use the configured carrier indicator field value. One of ordinary skill would have had a reasonable expectation of success, since Li already configures its search space sets through the NR SearchSpace configuration to which the procedure of TS 38.213 applies.
Claim 13 recites its alternatives joined by “or”. The alternatives relied on are the first control resource for self-scheduling on the first cell, the first carrier indication information for self-scheduling on the first cell, which is the n_CI of 0 mapped above, and the first cell being a Pcell.
Regarding claim 14, which depends on claim 13, (Original) Li in view of TS 38.213 discloses The method according to claim 13, wherein the first carrier information is determined based on a carrier indicator field in a target configuration, or the first carrier information is a preset value, wherein the target configuration comprises at least one of the following: a configuration for configuring or enabling scheduling on the first cell from the second cell; a configuration for configuring or indicating the second cell for scheduling the first cell; a configuration for configuring or indicating cross-carrier scheduling information; a configuration for configuring or indicating self-scheduling on the first cell; or a configuration for configuring or indicating scheduled information of the first cell; and/or the first carrier indication information is determined based on a carrier indicator field corresponding to scheduling on the first cell from the second cell, as TS 38.213 further discloses that n_CI is 0 for any CSS and whenever no carrier indicator field is configured for the serving cell on which the PDCCH is monitored, a fixed value rather than a configured one, with the result that the first carrier information, the n_CI of 0 mapped for claim 13 above, is a preset value (TS 38.213, clause 10.1, “n_CI is the carrier indicator field value if the UE is configured with a carrier indicator field by CrossCarrierSchedulingConfig for the serving cell on which PDCCH is monitored; otherwise, including for any CSS, n_CI = 0”).
Claim 14 recites its alternatives joined by “or” and “and/or”. The alternative relied on is that the first carrier information is a preset value.
Consequently, Li and TS 38.213 are combined for the reasons set forth in the rejection of claim 13 above.
Regarding claim 16, which depends on claim 13, (Currently Amended) Li in view of TS 38.213 discloses The method according to claim 13, wherein when the terminal is configured with scheduling on the Pcell from the Scell, for self-scheduling on the Pcell, n_CI is 0, as TS 38.213 further discloses that n_CI is the carrier indicator field value only for a serving cell on which the PDCCH is monitored with a carrier indicator field configured by CrossCarrierSchedulingConfig, and that otherwise, including for any CSS, n_CI is 0, which means that, when the terminal is configured with scheduling on the Pcell from the Scell, for self-scheduling on the Pcell in the common search space set mapped for claim 13 above, n_CI is 0 (TS 38.213, clause 10.1, “n_CI is the carrier indicator field value if the UE is configured with a carrier indicator field by CrossCarrierSchedulingConfig for the serving cell on which PDCCH is monitored; otherwise, including for any CSS, n_CI = 0”).
Therefore, Li and TS 38.213 are combined for the reasons set forth in the rejection of claim 13 above.
Conclusion
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.
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/CHONGSUH PARK/Examiner, Art Unit 2478
/JOSEPH E AVELLINO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2478
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