CTNF 18/833,340 CTNF 100410 DETAILED ACTION Claims 41-55 are presented for examination. Claims 1-40 have been cancelled. Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on July 25, 2024, and August 2, 2024 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner. Specification 06-31 AIA 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 Objections 07-29-01 AIA Claim s 47, 48-51 and 53 are objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 47, line 4, the occurrence of "the UE" is the first occurrence, it is suggested to the applicant to change "the UE" to --a UE--. Claim 51, line 4, same comment as claim 47 above. Claim 53, the preamble recites, “The one or more tangible non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 52” however this seems to be a typo. It is suggested to the applicant to change " The one or more tangible non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 52" to --the method of claim 52--. The dependent claims 48-50 inherit the same deficiencies and therefore are objected to for the same reasons as indicated above . Appropriate correction is required. Claim Warning 07-05-05 Applicant is advised that should claim 47 be found allowable, claim 51 will be objected to under 37 CFR 1.75 as being a substantial duplicate thereof. When two claims in an application are duplicates or else are so close in content that they both cover the same thing, despite a slight difference in wording, it is proper after allowing one claim to object to the other as being a substantial duplicate of the allowed claim. See MPEP § 608.01(m). Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 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. 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-23-aia AIA 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. 07-20-02-aia AIA This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention. 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 41, 45-47, 51 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CHIEN (US 20250227755 A1) in view of Si (US 20230319903 A1) . Regarding claim 41 , CHIEN teaches an apparatus of a New Radio (NR) user equipment (UE), the apparatus including a memory (Fig. 11; Memory/storage 740), and one or more processors coupled to the memory (Fig. 11; Processing unit 730), the memory storing instructions ([0447] The memory/storage 740 may be used to load and store data and/or instructions), and the one or more processors to execute the instructions to ([0443] The processors may be coupled with the memory/storage and configured to execute instructions stored in the memory/storage): determine that a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) transmission by the UE is to occur outside a channel occupancy time ([0376] The resource reserved by a scheduling UE can be used for transmitting HARQ-ACK feedback in PSFCH from a scheduled UE. [0377] The resource reserved for transmitting HARQ-ACK feedback can be within or outside of the COT initiated by a transmitter UE. [0378] A specific LBT type, CPE length, or CAPC may be assumed for PSFCH transmission or can be indicated by transmitter UE in the SCI. [0379] If the reserved resource is outside of the COT, then the receiver UE needs to initiate a COT before accessing the reserved resource for PSFCH transmission. And Fig. 9; [0399] Otherwise, if the PSFCH resource is outside of the COT shared by the scheduling UE, the scheduled UE initiates a COT before accessing the PSFCH resource (S 036 ).); Chien does not teach determine that the priority for the PSFCH transmission is set to p=1; and sending for transmission the PSFCH transmission based on the priority being set to p=1. Si in the same field of endeavor of channel access in SL wireless communications teaches determine that the priority for the PSFCH transmission is set to p=1 ([0068] A prioritization operation can be supported for a sidelink transmission or reception, and a priority of a sidelink transmission or reception is given a value from 1 or 8, wherein a smaller value corresponds to a higher priority. For a PSFCH transmission or reception with HARQ-ACK information, a priority value for the PSFCH is equal to the priority value indicated by an SCI format 1-A associated with the PSFCH. [0156] For another example, the transmission of PSFCH can utilize Type 1 channel access procedure with high CAPC. [0157] For one instance, the high CAPC is the highest CAPC (e.g., p=1). Claim 6 . The UE of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine p=1, when the type of the SL transmission is a physical SL feedback channel (PSFCH).); and sending for transmission the PSFCH transmission based on the priority being set to p=1 (Fig. 7; [0220] A UE may transmit at least one type of sidelink signal/channel ( 701 ), and the UE determines the type of channel access procedure based on the type(s) and/or the priority(ies) of the at least one type of sidelink signal/channel ( 702 ). The UE performs the channel access procedure based on the determined type of channel access procedure ( 703 ), and upon successfully performing the channel access procedure, the UE transmit the at least one type of sidelink signal/channel ( 704 ). [0156] For another example, the transmission of PSFCH can utilize Type 1 channel access procedure with high CAPC. [0157] For one instance, the high CAPC is the highest CAPC (e.g., p=1).). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Chien to include the teachings of Si. The motivation to do so would have been to provide a determination of channel access procedure type based on at least one of a type of the sidelink transmission or the priority of the sidelink transmission (Si; [0072]). Regarding claim 45 , Chien teaches the apparatus of claim 41, further including a radio front end coupled to the one or more processors (Fig. 11; [0445] The RF circuitry 710 may enable communication with wireless networks using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. [0444] The baseband circuitry 720 may include circuitry, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processors may include a baseband processor. The baseband circuitry may handle various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuitry.). Regarding claim 46 , Chien teaches the apparatus of claim 45 but does not explicitly teach the RF circuitry further including one or more antennas coupled to the radio front end, the antennas to transmit and receive signals wirelessly. Si teaches further including one or more antennas coupled to the radio front end, the antennas to transmit and receive signals wirelessly ([0045] As shown in FIG. 3 , the UE 116 includes antenna(s) 305 , a transceiver(s) 310. [0046] The transceiver(s) 310 receives, from the antenna 305, an incoming RF signal transmitted by a gNB of the network 100 or by other UEs (e.g., one or more of UEs 111-115) on a SL channel.). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Chien to include the teachings of Si. The motivation to do so would have been to provide a determination of channel access procedure type based on at least one of a type of the sidelink transmission or the priority of the sidelink transmission (Si; [0072]). Regarding claim 47 , Chien teaches one or more tangible non-transitory machine-readable storage media comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including ([0018] The disclosed method may be programmed as computer executable instructions stored in non-transitory computer readable medium): determine that a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) transmission by the UE is to occur outside a channel occupancy time ([0376] The resource reserved by a scheduling UE can be used for transmitting HARQ-ACK feedback in PSFCH from a scheduled UE. [0377] The resource reserved for transmitting HARQ-ACK feedback can be within or outside of the COT initiated by a transmitter UE. [0378] A specific LBT type, CPE length, or CAPC may be assumed for PSFCH transmission or can be indicated by transmitter UE in the SCI. [0379] If the reserved resource is outside of the COT, then the receiver UE needs to initiate a COT before accessing the reserved resource for PSFCH transmission. And Fig. 9; [0399] Otherwise, if the PSFCH resource is outside of the COT shared by the scheduling UE, the scheduled UE initiates a COT before accessing the PSFCH resource (S 036 ).); Chien does not teach determine that the priority for the PSFCH transmission is set to p=1; and sending for transmission the PSFCH transmission based on the priority being set to p=1. Si in the same field of endeavor of channel access in SL wireless communications teaches determine that the priority for the PSFCH transmission is set to p=1 ([0068] A prioritization operation can be supported for a sidelink transmission or reception, and a priority of a sidelink transmission or reception is given a value from 1 or 8, wherein a smaller value corresponds to a higher priority. For a PSFCH transmission or reception with HARQ-ACK information, a priority value for the PSFCH is equal to the priority value indicated by an SCI format 1-A associated with the PSFCH. [0156] For another example, the transmission of PSFCH can utilize Type 1 channel access procedure with high CAPC. [0157] For one instance, the high CAPC is the highest CAPC (e.g., p=1).); and sending for transmission the PSFCH transmission based on the priority being set to p=1 (Fig. 7; [0220] A UE may transmit at least one type of sidelink signal/channel ( 701 ), and the UE determines the type of channel access procedure based on the type(s) and/or the priority(ies) of the at least one type of sidelink signal/channel ( 702 ). The UE performs the channel access procedure based on the determined type of channel access procedure ( 703 ), and upon successfully performing the channel access procedure, the UE transmit the at least one type of sidelink signal/channel ( 704 ). [0156] For another example, the transmission of PSFCH can utilize Type 1 channel access procedure with high CAPC. [0157] For one instance, the high CAPC is the highest CAPC (e.g., p=1).) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Chien to include the teachings of Si. The motivation to do so would have been to provide a determination of channel access procedure type based on at least one of a type of the sidelink transmission or the priority of the sidelink transmission (Si; [0072]). Regarding claim 51 , Chien teaches one or more tangible non-transitory machine-readable storage media comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including ([0018] The disclosed method may be programmed as computer executable instructions stored in non-transitory computer readable medium): determine that a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) transmission by the UE is to occur outside a channel occupancy time ([0376] The resource reserved by a scheduling UE can be used for transmitting HARQ-ACK feedback in PSFCH from a scheduled UE. [0377] The resource reserved for transmitting HARQ-ACK feedback can be within or outside of the COT initiated by a transmitter UE. [0378] A specific LBT type, CPE length, or CAPC may be assumed for PSFCH transmission or can be indicated by transmitter UE in the SCI. [0379] If the reserved resource is outside of the COT, then the receiver UE needs to initiate a COT before accessing the reserved resource for PSFCH transmission. And Fig. 9; [0399] Otherwise, if the PSFCH resource is outside of the COT shared by the scheduling UE, the scheduled UE initiates a COT before accessing the PSFCH resource (S 036 ).); Chien does not teach determine that the priority for the PSFCH transmission is set to p=1; and sending for transmission the PSFCH transmission based on the priority being set to p=1. Si in the same field of endeavor of channel access in SL wireless communications teaches determine that the priority for the PSFCH transmission is set to p=1 ([0068] A prioritization operation can be supported for a sidelink transmission or reception, and a priority of a sidelink transmission or reception is given a value from 1 or 8, wherein a smaller value corresponds to a higher priority. For a PSFCH transmission or reception with HARQ-ACK information, a priority value for the PSFCH is equal to the priority value indicated by an SCI format 1-A associated with the PSFCH. [0156] For another example, the transmission of PSFCH can utilize Type 1 channel access procedure with high CAPC. [0157] For one instance, the high CAPC is the highest CAPC (e.g., p=1).); and sending for transmission the PSFCH transmission based on the priority being set to p=1 (Fig. 7; [0220] A UE may transmit at least one type of sidelink signal/channel ( 701 ), and the UE determines the type of channel access procedure based on the type(s) and/or the priority(ies) of the at least one type of sidelink signal/channel ( 702 ). The UE performs the channel access procedure based on the determined type of channel access procedure ( 703 ), and upon successfully performing the channel access procedure, the UE transmit the at least one type of sidelink signal/channel ( 704 ). [0156] For another example, the transmission of PSFCH can utilize Type 1 channel access procedure with high CAPC. [0157] For one instance, the high CAPC is the highest CAPC (e.g., p=1).) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Chien to include the teachings of Si. The motivation to do so would have been to provide a determination of channel access procedure type based on at least one of a type of the sidelink transmission or the priority of the sidelink transmission (Si; [0072]) . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 42, 48 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CHIEN (US 20250227755 A1) in view of Si (US 20230319903 A1); further in view of Guo (US 20240372670 A1) . Regarding claim 42 , Chien and Si teach the apparatus of claim 41, and Si teaches wherein the one or more processors are to execute the instructions to: determine that the priority for the SSB transmission is set to p=1 ([0068] A prioritization operation can be supported for a sidelink transmission or reception, and a priority of a sidelink transmission or reception is given a value from 1 or 8, wherein a smaller value corresponds to a higher priority. A priority of S-SS/PSBCH block transmission or reception is provided by sl-SSB-PriorityNR. [0151] For one example, the transmission of S-SS/PSBCH block can utilize Type 1 channel access procedure with high CAPC. [0152] For one instance, the high CAPC is the highest CAPC (e.g., p=1). Claim 5 . The UE of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine p=1, when the type of the SL transmission is a SL synchronization signals and physical SL broadcast channel (S-SS/PSBCH) block.)); and send for transmission the SSB transmission based on the priority being set to p=1 (Fig. 7; [0220] A UE may transmit at least one type of sidelink signal/channel ( 701 ), and the UE determines the type of channel access procedure based on the type(s) and/or the priority(ies) of the at least one type of sidelink signal/channel ( 702 ). The UE performs the channel access procedure based on the determined type of channel access procedure ( 703 ), and upon successfully performing the channel access procedure, the UE transmit the at least one type of sidelink signal/channel ( 704 ). [0151] For one example, the transmission of S-SS/PSBCH block can utilize Type 1 channel access procedure with high CAPC. [0152] For one instance, the high CAPC is the highest CAPC (e.g., p=1).). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Chien to include the teachings of Si. The motivation to do so would have been to provide a determination of channel access procedure type based on at least one of a type of the sidelink transmission or the priority of the sidelink transmission (Si; [0072]). Si does not teach determine a synchronization signal block (SSB) transmission by the UE. Guo in the same field of endeavor of sidelink synchronization signal transmissions teaches determine a synchronization signal block (SSB) transmission by the UE ([0089] With regards to FIG. 2 A, UE 115 - a may identify, in a radio frequency spectrum band (e.g., an unlicensed spectrum), an S-SSB resource 210 for transmitting an S-SSB and a sidelink message resource 215 for transmitting a sidelink message (e.g., a PSSCH or PSCCH transmission). The S-SSB resource 210 may overlap in time with the sidelink message resource 215 and a starting time of the S-SSB resource 210 may occur before a starting time of the sidelink message resource 215 . In some examples, UE 115 - a may receive an indication of the S-SSB resource 210 and the sidelink message resource 215 . In some examples, the S-SSB resource 210 and the sidelink message resource 215 may overlap in frequency. [0090] UE 115 - a may perform a channel access procedure (e.g., LBT) for the radio frequency spectrum band (e.g., the unlicensed spectrum) for the S-SSB resource 210 (e.g., on channel access interval 205 ). UE 115 - a may perform the channel access procedure based on an S-SSB associated with the S-SSB resource 210 being prioritized (e.g., having a higher priority) over a sidelink message associated with the sidelink message resource 215 .) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Chien and Si to include the teachings of Guo. The motivation to do so would have been to provide methods that enable UEs to prioritize an S-SSB transmission over other transmissions when communicating in the unlicensed spectrum (Guo; [0036]). Regarding claim 48 , Chien and Si teaches the one or more tangible non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 47, and Si teaches the operations further including: determining that the priority for the SSB transmission is set to p=1 ([0068] A prioritization operation can be supported for a sidelink transmission or reception, and a priority of a sidelink transmission or reception is given a value from 1 or 8, wherein a smaller value corresponds to a higher priority. A priority of S-SS/PSBCH block transmission or reception is provided by sl-SSB-PriorityNR. [0151] For one example, the transmission of S-SS/PSBCH block can utilize Type 1 channel access procedure with high CAPC. [0152] For one instance, the high CAPC is the highest CAPC (e.g., p=1). Claim 5 . The UE of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine p=1, when the type of the SL transmission is a SL synchronization signals and physical SL broadcast channel (S-SS/PSBCH) block.)); and sending for transmission the SSB transmission based on the priority being set to p=1 (Fig. 7; [0220] A UE may transmit at least one type of sidelink signal/channel ( 701 ), and the UE determines the type of channel access procedure based on the type(s) and/or the priority(ies) of the at least one type of sidelink signal/channel ( 702 ). The UE performs the channel access procedure based on the determined type of channel access procedure ( 703 ), and upon successfully performing the channel access procedure, the UE transmit the at least one type of sidelink signal/channel ( 704 ). [0151] For one example, the transmission of S-SS/PSBCH block can utilize Type 1 channel access procedure with high CAPC. [0152] For one instance, the high CAPC is the highest CAPC (e.g., p=1).). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Chien to include the teachings of Si. The motivation to do so would have been to provide a determination of channel access procedure type based on at least one of a type of the sidelink transmission or the priority of the sidelink transmission (Si; [0072]). Si does not teach determining a synchronization signal block (SSB) transmission by the UE. Guo in the same field of endeavor of sidelink synchronization signal transmissions teaches determining a synchronization signal block (SSB) transmission by the UE ([0089] With regards to FIG. 2 A, UE 115 - a may identify, in a radio frequency spectrum band (e.g., an unlicensed spectrum), an S-SSB resource 210 for transmitting an S-SSB and a sidelink message resource 215 for transmitting a sidelink message (e.g., a PSSCH or PSCCH transmission). The S-SSB resource 210 may overlap in time with the sidelink message resource 215 and a starting time of the S-SSB resource 210 may occur before a starting time of the sidelink message resource 215 . In some examples, UE 115 - a may receive an indication of the S-SSB resource 210 and the sidelink message resource 215 . In some examples, the S-SSB resource 210 and the sidelink message resource 215 may overlap in frequency. [0090] UE 115 - a may perform a channel access procedure (e.g., LBT) for the radio frequency spectrum band (e.g., the unlicensed spectrum) for the S-SSB resource 210 (e.g., on channel access interval 205 ). UE 115 - a may perform the channel access procedure based on an S-SSB associated with the S-SSB resource 210 being prioritized (e.g., having a higher priority) over a sidelink message associated with the sidelink message resource 215 .) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Chien and Si to include the teachings of Guo. The motivation to do so would have been to provide methods that enable UEs to prioritize an S-SSB transmission over other transmissions when communicating in the unlicensed spectrum (Guo; [0036]) . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 52 and 55 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Si (US 20230319903 A1) in view of Guo (US 20240372670 A1) . Regarding claim 52 , Si teaches a method to be performed at an apparatus of a New Radio (NR) User Equipment (UE), the method including: determining that the priority for the SSB transmission is set to p=1 ([0068] A prioritization operation can be supported for a sidelink transmission or reception, and a priority of a sidelink transmission or reception is given a value from 1 or 8, wherein a smaller value corresponds to a higher priority. A priority of S-SS/PSBCH block transmission or reception is provided by sl-SSB-PriorityNR. [0151] For one example, the transmission of S-SS/PSBCH block can utilize Type 1 channel access procedure with high CAPC. [0152] For one instance, the high CAPC is the highest CAPC (e.g., p=1). Claim 5 . The UE of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine p=1, when the type of the SL transmission is a SL synchronization signals and physical SL broadcast channel (S-SS/PSBCH) block.)); and sending for transmission the SSB transmission based on the priority being set to p=1 (Fig. 7; [0220] A UE may transmit at least one type of sidelink signal/channel ( 701 ), and the UE determines the type of channel access procedure based on the type(s) and/or the priority(ies) of the at least one type of sidelink signal/channel ( 702 ). The UE performs the channel access procedure based on the determined type of channel access procedure ( 703 ), and upon successfully performing the channel access procedure, the UE transmit the at least one type of sidelink signal/channel ( 704 ). [0151] For one example, the transmission of S-SS/PSBCH block can utilize Type 1 channel access procedure with high CAPC. [0152] For one instance, the high CAPC is the highest CAPC (e.g., p=1).). Si does not teach determining a synchronization signal block (SSB) transmission by the UE. Guo in the same field of endeavor of sidelink synchronization signal transmissions teaches determining a synchronization signal block (SSB) transmission by the UE ([0089] With regards to FIG. 2 A, UE 115 - a may identify, in a radio frequency spectrum band (e.g., an unlicensed spectrum), an S-SSB resource 210 for transmitting an S-SSB and a sidelink message resource 215 for transmitting a sidelink message (e.g., a PSSCH or PSCCH transmission). The S-SSB resource 210 may overlap in time with the sidelink message resource 215 and a starting time of the S-SSB resource 210 may occur before a starting time of the sidelink message resource 215 . In some examples, UE 115 - a may receive an indication of the S-SSB resource 210 and the sidelink message resource 215 . In some examples, the S-SSB resource 210 and the sidelink message resource 215 may overlap in frequency. [0090] UE 115 - a may perform a channel access procedure (e.g., LBT) for the radio frequency spectrum band (e.g., the unlicensed spectrum) for the S-SSB resource 210 (e.g., on channel access interval 205 ). UE 115 - a may perform the channel access procedure based on an S-SSB associated with the S-SSB resource 210 being prioritized (e.g., having a higher priority) over a sidelink message associated with the sidelink message resource 215 .) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Si to include the teachings of Guo. The motivation to do so would have been to provide methods that enable UEs to prioritize an S-SSB transmission over other transmissions when communicating in the unlicensed spectrum (Guo; [0036]). Regarding claim 55 , Si and Guo teach the method of claim 52, and Si teaches further including transmitting the sidelink transmission through antennas of the UE ([0047] The transceiver(s) 310 up-converts the baseband or IF signal to an RF signal that is transmitted via the antenna(s) 305 .) . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 43, 49 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CHIEN (US 20250227755 A1) in view of Si (US 20230319903 A1); further in view of Hwang (US 20250247859 A1) . Regarding claim 43 , Chien teaches the apparatus of claim 41, wherein the one or more processors are to execute the instructions to: decode sidelink (SL) channel occupancy time information from another UE, the SL channel occupancy time information including information relating to channel access priority class (Fig. 3; [0058] The second UE receives the sidelink configuration from the base station and receives the COT sharing information (B007). The COT sharing information indicates a COT that is shared from the first UE. [0353] With reference to FIG. 3 , as illustrated in embodiment D, the COT sharing information may include a CAPC value adopted by the first UE.); determine, from the SL channel occupancy time information, a priority associated with the channel access priority class ([0353] The COT sharing information may include a priority level or a UE identifier (ID) to indicate a qualified UE for using the shared COT.). Chien does not teach send for transmission by the UE a transmission that is based on a priority equal to or lower than the priority associated with the channel access priority class. Hwang in the same field of endeavor of sidelink communication on basis of COT in unlicensed band teaches send for transmission by the UE a transmission that is based on a priority equal to or lower than the priority associated with the channel access priority class (Table 10: NOTE: A lower CAPC value indicates a higher priority. [0253] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a PSCCH/PSSCH that can be transmitted using a COT duration configured by another UE may be different based on a transmission priority value. For example, if the priority value is less than or equal to a (pre-)configured threshold value (the value indicated in the COT information of Chien), the UE may perform simplified channel sensing and/or CP extension for transmission using the shared COT duration. This may be advantageous to increase the transmission opportunities for important data. For example, if the priority value is greater than or equal to a (pre-)configured threshold value (the value indicated in the COT information of Chien), the UE perform simplified channel sensing and/or CP extension for transmission using the shared COT duration. This may mean that even if the COT duration is encroached by other RATs or other transmissions, it is a less important transmission to perform simplified channel sensing. Fig. 8 shows a UE transmitting a PSCCH/PSSCH). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the priority level indicated in Chien with the method of determining whether to use a shared COT from another UE of Hwang. The motivation to do so would have been to perform simplified channel sensing for less important data while important data should perform type 1 channel access to avoid collisions with other transmissions. (Hwang; [0237]). Regarding claim 49 , Chien teaches the one or more tangible non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 47, the operations further including: decoding sidelink (SL) channel occupancy time information from another UE, the SL channel occupancy time information including information relating to channel access priority class (Fig. 3; [0058] The second UE receives the sidelink configuration from the base station and receives the COT sharing information (B007). The COT sharing information indicates a COT that is shared from the first UE. [0353] With reference to FIG. 3 , as illustrated in embodiment D, the COT sharing information may include a CAPC value adopted by the first UE.); determining, from the SL channel occupancy time information, a priority associated with the channel access priority class ([0353] The COT sharing information may include a priority level or a UE identifier (ID) to indicate a qualified UE for using the shared COT.). Chien does not teach sending for transmission by the UE a transmission that is based on a priority equal to or lower than the priority associated with the channel access priority class. Hwang in the same field of endeavor of sidelink communication on basis of COT in unlicensed band teaches sending for transmission by the UE a transmission that is based on a priority equal to or lower than the priority associated with the channel access priority class (Table 10: NOTE: A lower CAPC value indicates a higher priority. [0253] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a PSCCH/PSSCH that can be transmitted using a COT duration configured by another UE may be different based on a transmission priority value. For example, if the priority value is less than or equal to a (pre-)configured threshold value (the value indicated in the COT information of Chien), the UE may perform simplified channel sensing and/or CP extension for transmission using the shared COT duration. This may be advantageous to increase the transmission opportunities for important data. For example, if the priority value is greater than or equal to a (pre-)configured threshold value (the value indicated in the COT information of Chien), the UE perform simplified channel sensing and/or CP extension for transmission using the shared COT duration. This may mean that even if the COT duration is encroached by other RATs or other transmissions, it is a less important transmission to perform simplified channel sensing. Fig. 8 shows a UE transmitting a PSCCH/PSSCH). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the priority level indicated in Chien with the method of determining whether to use a shared COT from another UE of Hwang. The motivation to do so would have been to perform simplified channel sensing for less important data while important data should perform type 1 channel access to avoid collisions with other transmissions. (Hwang; [0237]) . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 53 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Si (US 20230319903 A1) in view of Guo (US 20240372670 A1); further in view of CHIEN (US 20250227755 A1) and Hwang (US 20250247859 A1) . Regarding claim 53 , Si and Guo teach the one or more tangible non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 52, but do not teach the method further including: decoding sidelink (SL) channel occupancy time information from another UE, the SL channel occupancy time information including information relating to channel access priority class; determining, from the SL channel occupancy time information, a priority associated with the channel access priority class; and sending for transmission by the UE a transmission that is based on a priority equal to or lower than the priority associated with the channel access priority class. Chien in the same field of endeavor of COT sharing in unlicensed band teaches decoding sidelink (SL) channel occupancy time information from another UE, the SL channel occupancy time information including information relating to channel access priority class (Fig. 3; [0058] The second UE receives the sidelink configuration from the base station and receives the COT sharing information (B007). The COT sharing information indicates a COT that is shared from the first UE. [0353] With reference to FIG. 3 , as illustrated in embodiment D, the COT sharing information may include a CAPC value adopted by the first UE.); determining, from the SL channel occupancy time information, a priority associated with the channel access priority class ([0353] The COT sharing information may include a priority level or a UE identifier (ID) to indicate a qualified UE for using the shared COT.). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Si and Guo with the COT sharing information of Chien. The motivation to do so would have been to provide channel access configuration information for UE to access a sidelink channel in the unlicensed spectrum using Mode 1 or Mode 2 resource allocation and corresponding indication schemes. (Chien; [0004]). Chien does not teach sending for transmission by the UE a transmission that is based on a priority equal to or lower than the priority associated with the channel access priority class. Hwang in the same field of endeavor of sidelink communication on basis of COT in unlicensed band teaches sending for transmission by the UE a transmission that is based on a priority equal to or lower than the priority associated with the channel access priority class (Table 10: NOTE: A lower CAPC value indicates a higher priority. [0253] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a PSCCH/PSSCH that can be transmitted using a COT duration configured by another UE may be different based on a transmission priority value. For example, if the priority value is less than or equal to a (pre-)configured threshold value (the value indicated in the COT information of Chien), the UE may perform simplified channel sensing and/or CP extension for transmission using the shared COT duration. This may be advantageous to increase the transmission opportunities for important data. For example, if the priority value is greater than or equal to a (pre-)configured threshold value (the value indicated in the COT information of Chien), the UE perform simplified channel sensing and/or CP extension for transmission using the shared COT duration. This may mean that even if the COT duration is encroached by other RATs or other transmissions, it is a less important transmission to perform simplified channel sensing. Fig. 8 shows a UE transmitting a PSCCH/PSSCH). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the priority level indicated in Chien with the method of determining whether to use a shared COT from another UE of Hwang. The motivation to do so would have been to perform simplified channel sensing for less important data while important data should perform type 1 channel access to avoid collisions with other transmissions. (Hwang; [0237]) . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 44, 50, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CHIEN (US 20250227755 A1) in view of Si (US 20230319903 A1); further in view of Park (US 20250324451 A1) . Regarding claim 44 , Chien teaches the apparatus of claim 41, wherein the one or more processors are to: decode sidelink (SL) channel occupancy time information from another UE, the SL channel occupancy time information including identifiers for destination UEs (Fig. 3; [0058] The second UE receives the sidelink configuration from the base station and receives the COT sharing information (B007). The COT sharing information indicates a COT that is shared from the first UE. [0317] Target UE restriction for receiving data in a shared COT: [0318] For a responder UE that shares a COT initiated by an initiator UE, when selecting a target UE and transmitting data to the target UE, the responder UE may have restrictions on the selection of target UE. The qualified target UE for the responder UE to schedule a sidelink resource within the shared COT can be indicated based on: [0319] A destination UE identifier or a source UE identifier, or [0320] A COT sharing identifier for a specific group of UEs.); Chien does not teach determine, from the SL channel occupancy time information, the destination UEs; determine, based on the channel occupancy time information, whether the UE is included in a subset of the destination UEs, the subset designated as permitted to transmit as responding devices during the channel occupancy time; and send for transmission by the UE, a sidelink transmission during the channel occupancy period when the UE is included in the subset. Park in the same field of endeavor of sidelink COT sharing also teaches decode sidelink (SL) channel occupancy time information from another UE, the SL channel occupancy time information including identifiers for destination UEs (Fig. 19; [0383] In step S 1910 , a COT sharing UE may transmit COT sharing information to a responding UE. For example, the COT sharing information may include ID(s) of UE(s) that can use the COT in the COT sharing information.) determine, from the SL channel occupancy time information, the destination UEs ([0384] In step S 1920 , the responding UE may determine whether to use the received COT duration for transmission of SL data. For example, the responding UE may determine if its ID is included in ID(s) of UE(s) that can use the COT); determine, based on the channel occupancy time information, whether the UE is included in a subset of the destination UEs, the subset designated as permitted to transmit as responding devices during the channel occupancy time ([0384] In step S 1920 , the responding UE may determine whether to use the received COT duration for transmission of SL data. For example, the responding UE may determine if its ID is included in ID(s) of UE(s) that can use the COT, and if its ID is included in the ID(s) of UE(s) that can use the COT, it may determine to use the COT duration.); and send for transmission by the UE, a sidelink transmission during the channel occupancy period when the UE is included in the subset ([0384] and if its ID is included in the ID(s) of UE(s) that can use the COT, it may determine to use the COT duration. [0385] In step S 1930 , the responding UE may perform channel sensing for transmission resources within the COT duration. [0386] In step S 1940 , the responding UE may transmit SL data to the COT sharing UE based on the transmission resource, since the result of the channel sensing is IDLE.). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Chien and Si to include the teachings of Park. The motivation to do so would have been to provide an additional identifier in addition to the L2 Source/Destination ID for a COT sharing operation, with the effect that more UEs may receive COT sharing. (Park; [0408]). Regarding claim 50 , Chien teaches the one or more tangible non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 47, the operations further including: decoding sidelink (SL) channel occupancy time information from another UE, the SL channel occupancy time information including identifiers for destination UEs (Fig. 3; [0058] The second UE receives the sidelink configuration from the base station and receives the COT sharing information (B007). The COT sharing information indicates a COT that is shared from the first UE. [0317] Target UE restriction for receiving data in a shared COT: [0318] For a responder UE that shares a COT initiated by an initiator UE, when selecting a target UE and transmitting data to the target UE, the responder UE may have restrictions on the selection of target UE. The qualified target UE for the responder UE to schedule a sidelink resource within the shared COT can be indicated based on: [0319] A destination UE identifier or a source UE identifier, or [0320] A COT sharing identifier for a specific group of UEs.); Chien does not teach determining, from the SL channel occupancy time information, the destination UEs; determining, based on the channel occupancy time information, whether the UE is included in a subset of the destination UEs, the subset designated as permitted to transmit as responding devices during the channel occupancy time; and sending for transmission by the UE, a sidelink transmission during the channel occupancy period when the UE is included in the subset. Park in the same field of endeavor of sidelink COT sharing also teaches decoding sidelink (SL) channel occupancy time information from another UE, the SL channel occupancy time information including identifiers for destination UEs (Fig. 19; [0383] In step S 1910 , a COT sharing UE may transmit COT sharing information to a responding UE. For example, the COT sharing information may include ID(s) of UE(s) that can use the COT in the COT sharing information.) determining, from the SL channel occupancy time information, the destination UEs ([0384] In step S 1920 , the responding UE may determine whether to use the received COT duration for transmission of SL data. For example, the responding UE may determine if its ID is included in ID(s) of UE(s) that can use the COT); determining, based on the channel occupancy time information, whether the UE is included in a subset of the destination UEs, the subset designated as permitted to transmit as responding devices during the channel occupancy time ([0384] In step S 1920 , the responding UE may determine whether to use the received COT duration for transmission of SL data. For example, the responding UE may determine if its ID is included in ID(s) of UE(s) that can use the COT, and if its ID is included in the ID(s) of UE(s) that can use the COT, it may determine to use the COT duration.); and sending for transmission by the UE, a sidelink transmission during the channel occupancy period when the UE is included in the subset ([0384] and if its ID is included in the ID(s) of UE(s) that can use the COT, it may determine to use the COT duration. [0385] In step S 1930 , the responding UE may perform channel sensing for transmission resources within the COT duration. [0386] In step S 1940 , the responding UE may transmit SL data to the COT sharing UE based on the transmission resource, since the result of the channel sensing is IDLE.). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Chien and Si to include the teachings of Park. The motivation to do so would have been to provide an additional identifier in addition to the L2 Source/Destination ID for a COT sharing operation, with the effect that more UEs may receive COT sharing. (Park; [0408]) . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 54 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Si (US 20230319903 A1) in view of Guo (US 20240372670 A1); further in view of CHIEN (US 20250227755 A1) and Park (US 20250324451 A1) . Regarding claim 54 , Si and Guo teach the method of claim 52, but do not teach further including: decoding sidelink (SL) channel occupancy time information from another UE, the SL channel occupancy time information including identifiers for destination UEs; determining, from the SL channel occupancy time information, the destination UEs; determining, based on the channel occupancy time information, whether the UE is included in a subset of the destination UEs, the subset designated as permitted to transmit as responding devices during the channel occupancy time; and sending for transmission by the UE, a sidelink transmission during the channel occupancy period when the UE is included in the subset. Chien in the same field of endeavor of COT sharing in unlicensed band teaches decoding sidelink (SL) channel occupancy time information from another UE, the SL channel occupancy time information including identifiers for destination UEs (Fig. 3; [0058] The second UE receives the sidelink configuration from the base station and receives the COT sharing information (B007). The COT sharing information indicates a COT that is shared from the first UE. [0317] Target UE restriction for receiving data in a shared COT: [0318] For a responder UE that shares a COT initiated by an initiator UE, when selecting a target UE and transmitting data to the target UE, the responder UE may have restrictions on the selection of target UE. The qualified target UE for the responder UE to schedule a sidelink resource within the shared COT can be indicated based on: [0319] A destination UE identifier or a source UE identifier, or [0320] A COT sharing identifier for a specific group of UEs.). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Si and Guo with the COT sharing information of Chien. The motivation to do so would have been to provide channel access configuration information for UE to access a sidelink channel in the unlicensed spectrum using Mode 1 or Mode 2 resource allocation and corresponding indication schemes. (Chien; [0004]). Chien does not teach determining, from the SL channel occupancy time information, the destination UEs; determining, based on the channel occupancy time information, whether the UE is included in a subset of the destination UEs, the subset designated as permitted to transmit as responding devices during the channel occupancy time; and sending for transmission by the UE, a sidelink transmission during the channel occupancy period when the UE is included in the subset. Park in the same field of endeavor of sidelink COT sharing also teaches decoding sidelink (SL) channel occupancy time information from another UE, the SL channel occupancy time information including identifiers for destination UEs (Fig. 19; [0383] In step S 1910 , a COT sharing UE may transmit COT sharing information to a responding UE. For example, the COT sharing information may include ID(s) of UE(s) that can use the COT in the COT sharing information.) determining, from the SL channel occupancy time information, the destination UEs ([0384] In step S 1920 , the responding UE may determine whether to use the received COT duration for transmission of SL data. For example, the responding UE may determine if its ID is included in ID(s) of UE(s) that can use the COT); determining, based on the channel occupancy time information, whether the UE is included in a subset of the destination UEs, the subset designated as permitted to transmit as responding devices during the channel occupancy time ([0384] In step S 1920 , the responding UE may determine whether to use the received COT duration for transmission of SL data. For example, the responding UE may determine if its ID is included in ID(s) of UE(s) that can use the COT, and if its ID is included in the ID(s) of UE(s) that can use the COT, it may determine to use the COT duration.); and sending for transmission by the UE, a sidelink transmission during the channel occupancy period when the UE is included in the subset ([0384] and if its ID is included in the ID(s) of UE(s) that can use the COT, it may determine to use the COT duration. [0385] In step S 1930 , the responding UE may perform channel sensing for transmission resources within the COT duration. [0386] In step S 1940 , the responding UE may transmit SL data to the COT sharing UE based on the transmission resource, since the result of the channel sensing is IDLE.). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Chien to include the teachings of Park. The motivation to do so would have been to provide an additional identifier in addition to the L2 Source/Destination ID for a COT sharing operation, with the effect that more UEs may receive COT sharing. (Park; [0408]) . Conclusion 07-96 AIA The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Jiang discloses a channel transmission method for sidelink transmissions on an unlicensed band including performing PSFCH transmissions and sharing a COT initiated by a second terminal . Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NANCY SIXTO whose telephone number is (571)272-3295. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Friday 9AM-5PM EST. 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, Gary Mui can be reached at 571-270-1420. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. 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If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /NANCY SIXTO/Examiner, Art Unit 2465 /GARY MUI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2465 Application/Control Number: 18/833,340 Page 2 Art Unit: 2465 Application/Control Number: 18/833,340 Page 3 Art Unit: 2465 Application/Control Number: 18/833,340 Page 4 Art Unit: 2465 Application/Control Number: 18/833,340 Page 5 Art Unit: 2465 Application/Control Number: 18/833,340 Page 6 Art Unit: 2465 Application/Control Number: 18/833,340 Page 7 Art Unit: 2465 Application/Control Number: 18/833,340 Page 8 Art Unit: 2465 Application/Control Number: 18/833,340 Page 10 Art Unit: 2465 Application/Control Number: 18/833,340 Page 11 Art Unit: 2465 Application/Control Number: 18/833,340 Page 12 Art Unit: 2465 Application/Control Number: 18/833,340 Page 13 Art Unit: 2465 Application/Control Number: 18/833,340 Page 14 Art Unit: 2465 Application/Control Number: 18/833,340 Page 15 Art Unit: 2465 Application/Control Number: 18/833,340 Page 16 Art Unit: 2465 Application/Control Number: 18/833,340 Page 17 Art Unit: 2465 Application/Control Number: 18/833,340 Page 18 Art Unit: 2465 Application/Control Number: 18/833,340 Page 19 Art Unit: 2465 Application/Control Number: 18/833,340 Page 20 Art Unit: 2465 Application/Control Number: 18/833,340 Page 21 Art Unit: 2465 Application/Control Number: 18/833,340 Page 22 Art Unit: 2465 Application/Control Number: 18/833,340 Page 23 Art Unit: 2465 Application/Control Number: 18/833,340 Page 24 Art Unit: 2465 Application/Control Number: 18/833,340 Page 26 Art Unit: 2465 Application/Control Number: 18/833,340 Page 27 Art Unit: 2465 Application/Control Number: 18/833,340 Page 28 Art Unit: 2465
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