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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1,4-5,8-9,11-12,15-16,19-20,23 and 32-34 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. (US 20250031223 A1) in view of Luo et al. (US 20240407048 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Park et al. teaches a method for reporting terminal assistance information, performed by a first terminal device, comprising: sending a sidelink (SL) resource request information list and an assistance information list to a network side device (Paragraph 82, 223, the ue explicitly reports sidelink-related information (including destination id, qos/pqi, and configuration info lists) to the base station); wherein the resource request information list comprises a resource request of a second terminal device, and the resource request of the second terminal device comprises a destination address of the second terminal device (Paragraph 82, 120-121, 161, the sidelink signaling explicitly includes destination identifiers for the second ue within resource-related transmissions); the assistance information list comprises assistance information, and the assistance information determines a terminal device identifier corresponding to the assistance information by means of an index identifier (Paragraph 199-200, 223, the disclosure explicitly teaches index identifiers (pqi index) that map assistance-type information (qos/drx configuration) to specific terminal identifiers).
Park et al. does not explicitly teach wherein the terminal device identifier corresponding to the assistance information is a destination address in a resource request at a position of the index identifier in the resource request information list.
However, Luo et al. teaches wherein the terminal device identifier corresponding to the assistance information is a destination address in a resource request at a position of the index identifier in the resource request information list(Paragraph 74-76, 112, teaches an indexed correspondence between entries and destination identities by maintaining the same number and order as a resource request list, it also teaches destination L2 IDs as terminal identifiers, together teaching that assistance-related information corresponds to a destination address through a position/index relationship within a resource-request-related list).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide wherein the terminal device identifier corresponding to the assistance information is a destination address in a resource request at a position of the index identifier in the resource request information list as taught by Luo et al. in the system of Park et al., so that it would enable the network side device to efficiently and unambiguously associate reported assistance information with the correct destination terminal represented in the sidelink resource request list while reducing signaling overhead by using positional/index-based mapping rather than separately transmitting explicit identifier associations for each assistance information entry.
Regarding claim 4, Park et al. teaches the index identifier is determined by a position of the assistance information in the assistance information list (Paragraph 15, 199, 219, these disclosures show that information elements are assigned index values based on ordered positions (ascending ordering / list-based mapping) and that such index values are used to identify corresponding information).
Regarding claim 5, Park et al. teaches a length of the assistance information list is the same as a length of the resource request information list (Paragraph 223, 244, 249-250, These passages disclose a one-to-one mapping between destination IDs (resource-request-related information identifying a communication target/service) and corresponding PQI/SL DRX configuration information (assistance information), including embodiments with multiple destination IDs each having corresponding configuration information).
Regarding claim 8, Park et al. teaches receiving SL discontinuous reception (DRX) assistance information sent by the second terminal device, wherein the SL DRX assistance information is comprised in the assistance information (Paragraph 168-179, 250-252, The passage teaches transmission and reporting of information associated with SL DRX operation, including QoS-profile-related information and SL DRX configuration information containing SL DRX parameters such as timers and cycles, which constitutes assistance information that includes SL DRX assistance information exchanged between devices and the network for configuring or supporting sidelink DRX operation).
Regarding claim 9, Park et al. teaches a method for acquiring terminal assistance information, performed by a network side device, comprising: receiving a sidelink (SL) resource request information list and an assistance information list sent by a first terminal device (Paragraphs 76, 106-108, 112, 130, The passage teaches a first terminal (RX UE) sending assistance information to another terminal (TX UE), the TX UE forwarding or reporting that information to a network-side device (gNB), and further discloses an SL-TxResourceReqList-r16 that constitutes a sidelink resource request information list, such that the network-side device receives assistance information together with sidelink resource-request-related information originating from a first terminal device); wherein the resource request information list comprises a resource request of a second terminal device, and the resource request of the second terminal device comprises a destination address of the second terminal device (Paragraph 82, 120-121, 161, the sidelink signaling explicitly includes destination identifiers for the second ue within resource-related transmissions); the assistance information list comprises assistance information, and the assistance information determines a terminal device identifier corresponding to the assistance information by means of an index identifier (Paragraph 199-200, 223, the disclosure explicitly teaches index identifiers (pqi index) that map assistance-type information (qos/drx configuration) to specific terminal identifiers).
Park et al. does not explicitly teach wherein the terminal device identifier corresponding to the assistance information is a destination address in a resource request at a position of the index identifier in the resource request information list.
However, Luo et al. teaches wherein the terminal device identifier corresponding to the assistance information is a destination address in a resource request at a position of the index identifier in the resource request information list(Paragraph 74-76, 112, teaches an indexed correspondence between entries and destination identities by maintaining the same number and order as a resource request list, it also teaches destination L2 IDs as terminal identifiers, together teaching that assistance-related information corresponds to a destination address through a position/index relationship within a resource-request-related list).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide wherein the terminal device identifier corresponding to the assistance information is a destination address in a resource request at a position of the index identifier in the resource request information list as taught by Luo et al. in the system of Park et al., so that it would enable the network side device to efficiently and unambiguously associate reported assistance information with the correct destination terminal represented in the sidelink resource request list while reducing signaling overhead by using positional/index-based mapping rather than separately transmitting explicit identifier associations for each assistance information entry.
Regarding claim 11, Park et al. teaches the index identifier is determined by a position of the assistance information in the assistance information list (Paragraph 15, 199, 219, these disclosures show that information elements are assigned index values based on ordered positions (ascending ordering / list-based mapping) and that such index values are used to identify corresponding information).
Regarding claim 12, Park et al. teaches a length of the assistance information list is the same as a length of the resource request information list (Paragraph 223, 244, 249-250, These passages disclose a one-to-one mapping between destination IDs (resource-request-related information identifying a communication target/service) and corresponding PQI/SL DRX configuration information (assistance information), including embodiments with multiple destination IDs each having corresponding configuration information).
Regarding claim 15, Park et al. teaches the assistance information is SL discontinuous reception (DRX) assistance information, and the SL DRX assistance information is sent by the second terminal device to the first terminal device (Paragraph 165, 168-179, 199, 259, The passage discloses SL DRX configurations, timers, cycles, and related parameters that constitute SL DRX assistance information, and further discloses that a transmitting UE sends SCI containing PQI-related information used to determine and synchronize those SL DRX parameters at a receiving UE).
Regarding claim 16, Park et al. teaches a first terminal device, comprising: a processor; and a memory storing a computer program executable by the processor; wherein the processor is configured to send a sidelink (SL) resource request information list and an assistance information list to a network side device (Paragraph 82, 223, the ue explicitly reports sidelink-related information (including destination id, qos/pqi, and configuration info lists) to the base station); wherein the resource request information list comprises a resource request of a second terminal device, and the resource request of the second terminal device comprises a destination address of the second terminal device (Paragraph 82, 120-121, 161, the sidelink signaling explicitly includes destination identifiers for the second ue within resource-related transmissions); the assistance information list comprises assistance information, and the assistance information determines a terminal device identifier corresponding to the assistance information by means of an index identifier (Paragraph 199-200, 223, the disclosure explicitly teaches index identifiers (pqi index) that map assistance-type information (qos/drx configuration) to specific terminal identifiers).
Park et al. does not explicitly teach wherein the terminal device identifier corresponding to the assistance information is a destination address in a resource request at a position of the index identifier in the resource request information list.
However, Luo et al. teaches wherein the terminal device identifier corresponding to the assistance information is a destination address in a resource request at a position of the index identifier in the resource request information list(Paragraph 74-76, 112, teaches an indexed correspondence between entries and destination identities by maintaining the same number and order as a resource request list, it also teaches destination L2 IDs as terminal identifiers, together teaching that assistance-related information corresponds to a destination address through a position/index relationship within a resource-request-related list).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide wherein the terminal device identifier corresponding to the assistance information is a destination address in a resource request at a position of the index identifier in the resource request information list as taught by Luo et al. in the system of Park et al., so that it would enable the network side device to efficiently and unambiguously associate reported assistance information with the correct destination terminal represented in the sidelink resource request list while reducing signaling overhead by using positional/index-based mapping rather than separately transmitting explicit identifier associations for each assistance information entry.
Regarding claim 19, Park et al. teaches the index identifier is determined by a position of the assistance information in the assistance information list (Paragraph 15, 199, 219, these disclosures show that information elements are assigned index values based on ordered positions (ascending ordering / list-based mapping) and that such index values are used to identify corresponding information).
Regarding claim 20, Park et al. teaches a length of the assistance information list is the same as a length of the resource request information list (Paragraph 223, 244, 249-250, These passages disclose a one-to-one mapping between destination IDs (resource-request-related information identifying a communication target/service) and corresponding PQI/SL DRX configuration information (assistance information), including embodiments with multiple destination IDs each having corresponding configuration information).
Regarding claim 23, Park et al. teaches receive SL discontinuous reception (DRX) assistance information sent by the second terminal device, wherein the SL DRX assistance information is comprised in the assistance information (Paragraph 168-179, 250-252, The passage teaches transmission and reporting of information associated with SL DRX operation, including QoS-profile-related information and SL DRX configuration information containing SL DRX parameters such as timers and cycles, which constitutes assistance information that includes SL DRX assistance information exchanged between devices and the network for configuring or supporting sidelink DRX operation).
Regarding claim 32, Park et al. teaches a network side device, comprising; a processor; and a memory storing a computer program, wherein the processor is configured to perform the method according to claim 9 (Paragraph 38-40, 69, 80-81, 249, 251-252, The base station (BS/gNB/eNB) is a network-side device that performs the disclosed network operations such as scheduling resources, configuring UEs, transmitting RRC and system information messages, and determining communication parameters).
Regarding claim 33, Park et al. teaches a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to claim 1 (Paragraph 165, 167, 190, 192, 243, 247, 259, The passage discloses a device/UE that performs the disclosed method through operational procedures and algorithmic steps executed by the UE).
Regarding claim 34, Park et al. teaches a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to claim 9 (Paragraph 165, 167, 190, 192, 243, 247, 259, The passage discloses a device/UE that performs the disclosed method through operational procedures and algorithmic steps executed by the UE).
Allowable Subject Matter
The specification discloses several additional concepts that are not presently recited in the claim and that could further distinguish the invention, including carrying the index identifier within the assistance information itself, setting the index identifier according to the index position of the corresponding resource request in the resource request information list, determining the index identifier based on the position of the assistance information within the assistance information list, arranging the assistance information and resource request information lists such that corresponding entries occupy the same index positions and the two lists have the same length, defining that each resource request corresponds to a unique index position used for mapping assistance information to a destination address without transmitting the destination address again, and specifying particular types of assistance information such as a paging identifier, a sidelink discontinuous reception (SL DRX) configuration received from and accepted from the second terminal device, or SL DRX assistance information including a recommended SL DRX configuration, thereby more fully capturing the disclosed mechanism for reducing signaling overhead while enabling the network to identify the applicable terminal device and utilize the reported assistance information.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
FALKENBERG (US 20250261061 A1)
Panzner et al. (US 20250024474 A1)
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/ANDREW SHAJI KURIAN/Examiner, Art Unit 2464
/IQBAL ZAIDI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2464
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