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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on February 26, 2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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 1-18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by EP 4087204 A1 (cited in 02/26/2025 IDS, hereinafter “Mao).
Mao discloses, teaches, or suggests:
regarding claim 1, a first apparatus comprising:
at least one processor (see at least Fig. 15 and paragraph 100, processor); and
at least one non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus at least to (see at least Fig. 15 and paragraph 100, memory):
receive a first configuration of one or more candidate slots (see at least paragraphs 67 and 68, a controller sends excitation signal configuration information to the exciter and/or the receiver, where the excitation signal configuration information includes information about the excitation signal in the first time range and the second time range: one or more frequency and time information including a signal time granularity, a length, and a periodicity, where a time range is interpreted as a slot and the excitation signal configuration information includes the first configuration);
receive a second configuration for activation of at least one slot of the one or more candidate slots (see at least paragraphs 67 and 68, a controller sends excitation signal configuration information to the exciter and/or the receiver, where the excitation signal configuration information includes information about the excitation signal in the first time range and the second time range: one or more frequency and time information including a signal time granularity, a length, and a periodicity, where a time range is interpreted as a slot and the excitation signal configuration information includes the second configuration); and
transmit at least one activation signal in the at least one activated slot (see at least paragraphs 53 and 54, the exciter sends an excitation signal to a backscatter device, where a signal time granularity (time or duration of each signal) may be used for the excitation signal, where the excitation signal may include a first time range and a second time range in which signal time granularities are different);
regarding claim 2, the first apparatus comprises an activator (see at least paragraph 53, an exciter corresponds to an activator);
regarding claim 3, the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus to transmit, to a second apparatus, at least one preparation reference signal based, at least partially, on the first configuration (see at least paragraphs 44 and 48, (4) Reference signal, the excitation signal sent by the exciter is a signal known to the backscatter device, where a known signal corresponds to a preparation reference signal);
regarding claim 4, the at least one preparation reference signal identifies the first apparatus (see at least paragraph 44, the excitation signal sent by the exciter is a signal known to the backscatter device);
regarding claim 5, the first configuration comprises a configuration for the at least one preparation reference signal (see at least paragraphs 67 and 68, a controller sends excitation signal configuration information to the exciter and/or the receiver, where the excitation signal configuration information includes information about the excitation signal in the first time range and the second time range: one or more frequency and time information including a signal time granularity, a length, and a periodicity);
regarding claim 6, the second configuration comprises, at least, an index of the at least one slot (see at least paragraphs 67 and 68, a controller sends excitation signal configuration information to the exciter and/or the receiver, where the excitation signal configuration information includes information about the excitation signal in the first time range and the second time range: one or more frequency and time information including a signal time granularity, a length, and a periodicity, where a time range corresponds to a slot);
regarding claim 7, the first configuration comprises, at least, an indication to monitor for the second configuration (see at least paragraphs 67 and 68, a controller sends excitation signal configuration information to the exciter and/or the receiver, where the excitation signal configuration information includes information about the excitation signal in the first time range and the second time range: one or more frequency and time information including a signal time granularity, a length, and a periodicity, where the excitation signal configuration information includes the second configuration);
regarding claims 8 and 9, the first configuration and the second configuration are received via at least one of: a radio resource control information element or a medium access control message (see at least paragraph 68, the excitation signal configuration information may be indicated through at least one of RRC and MAC CE);
regarding claim 10, the first configuration is received from a session control unit (see at least paragraph 63, the excitation signal configuration information is sent by the controller to the exciter, where the controller is interpreted as a session control unit);
regarding claims 11 and 12, the at least one activation signal is transmitted to a third apparatus associated with the first apparatus, where the third apparatus comprises a tag (see at least paragraphs 43 and 53, the excitation signal is sent to a backscatter device, which is referred to as a tag); and
regarding claims 13 and 14, the second configuration is received from a second apparatus associated with the first apparatus, where the second apparatus comprises a reader (see at least Fig. 9A, the excitation signal configuration information is received from the receiver (controller), which corresponds to a reader).
Mao discloses, teaches, or suggests:
regarding claim 15, a second apparatus comprising:
at least one processor (see at least Fig. 15 and paragraph 100, processor); and
at least one non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus at least to (see at least Fig. 15 and paragraph 100, memory):
receive a first configuration of one or more candidate slots (see at least paragraphs 67 and 68, a controller sends backscatter signal configuration information including information about backscatter data signal and backscatter reference signal: one or more of a rate, start time, a time length, a periodicity, a backscatter data bit time width, a backscatter data bit rate, etc., where the start time, the time length, and/or the periodicity correspond to one or more candidate slots);
receive, from a first apparatus, at least one preparation reference signal (see at least paragraphs 44 and 48, (4) Reference signal, the excitation signal sent by the exciter is a signal known to the backscatter device, where a known signal corresponds to a preparation reference signal);
determine at least one slot of the one or more candidate slots based, at least partially, on at least one of: the first configuration, or the at least one preparation reference signal (see at least paragraphs 69-74, the backscatter device determines the backscatter signal pattern (that is, determines one or more of a time pattern or a time-code joint pattern) in the backscatter signal pattern set based on a correspondence between a backscatter signal pattern and at least one of the following parameters: a backscatter device identifier, a backscatter communication slot number, or the like); and
transmit a second configuration for activation of the at least one determined slot (see at least paragraphs 74 and 77, (see at least paragraphs 69-74, the backscatter device determines the backscatter signal pattern (that is, determines one or more of a time pattern or a time-code joint pattern) in the backscatter signal pattern set based on a correspondence between a backscatter signal pattern and at least one of the following parameters: a backscatter device identifier, a backscatter communication slot number, or the like), where the backscatter device sends the backscatter signal to the receiver based on the backscatter communication slot number, which activates the backscatter communication slot number);
regarding claim 16, the second apparatus comprises a reader and the first apparatus comprises an activator (see at least paragraphs 44-45, the exciter corresponds to an activator and the backscatter device corresponds to a reader);
regarding claim 17, the second configuration comprises, at least, an index of the at least one determined slot (see at least paragraphs 69-74, the backscatter device determines the backscatter signal pattern (that is, determines one or more of a time pattern or a time-code joint pattern) in the backscatter signal pattern set based on a correspondence between a backscatter signal pattern and at least one of the following parameters: a backscatter device identifier, a backscatter communication slot number, or the like); and
regarding claim 18, the first configuration comprises at least one of: an indication to monitor for the at least one preparation reference signal, or a configuration for determining the at least one slot (see at least paragraphs 67 and 68, a controller sends back scatter signal configuration information including information about backscatter data signal and backscatter reference signal: one or more of a rate, start time, a time length, a periodicity, a backscatter data bit time width, a backscatter data bit rate, etc., which corresponds to a configuration for determining the at least one slot).
Regarding claim 20, Mao discloses, teaches, or suggests a fourth apparatus comprising:
at least one processor (see at least Fig. 15 and paragraph 100, processor); and
at least one non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the fourth apparatus at least to (see at least Fig. 15 and paragraph 100, memory):
transmit, to a first apparatus, a first configuration of one or more candidate slots (see at least paragraphs 67 and 68, a controller sends excitation signal configuration information to the exciter and/or the receiver, where the excitation signal configuration information includes information about the excitation signal in the first time range and the second time range: one or more frequency and time information including a signal time granularity, a length, and a periodicity, where a time range is interpreted as a slot and the excitation signal configuration information includes the first configuration); and
transmit, to a second apparatus associated with a third apparatus, a second configuration of one or more candidate slots (see at least paragraphs 67 and 68, a controller sends, to the backscatter device, backscatter signal configuration information including information about backscatter data signal and backscatter reference signal: one or more of a rate, start time, a time length, a periodicity, a backscatter data bit time width, a backscatter data bit rate, etc., where the start time, the time length, and/or the periodicity correspond to one or more candidate slots).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 19 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
U.S. Pub. No. 2013/0106575 (Kangas et al.) – wireless identification tag activation.
U.S. Pub. No. 2025/0310976 (Elshafie et al.) – sidelink resource allocation for energy harvesting devices.
U.S. Pub. No. 2026/0142758 (Elshafie et al.) – resource allocation for a helper UE or a reader UE.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Pawaris Sinkantarakorn whose telephone number is (571)270-1424. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Hadi Armouche can be reached at (571) 270-3618. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PAO SINKANTARAKORN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2409 07/21/2026
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