CTNF 18/839,481 CTNF 86676 DETAILED ACTION 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 06-52 The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 1/31/11. 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 07-30-02 AIA 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. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. 07-34-01 All Claims rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. 07-34-07 AIA The claims are generally narrative and indefinite, failing to conform with current U.S. practice. They appear to be a literal translation into English from a foreign document and are replete with grammatical and idiomatic errors. 07-34-05 AIA Claim 6 recites the limitation " the component carrier" and “the other component carrier ” in line 2 . There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. 07-34-05 AIA Claim 10 recites the limitation " the MAC control element ” in line 2 . There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. 07-34-05 AIA Claim 12 recites the limitation " the sidelink control information ” in line 2 . There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. 07-34-05 AIA Claim 13 recites the limitation " the sidelink control information ” in line 2 . There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. 07-34-05 AIA Claim 15 recites the limitation " the bitmap ” in line 2 . There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-08-aia AIA (a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. 07-15-aia AIA Claim(s) 1 – 3, 9, 16, 17, 22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Shi (US Publication 2021/0176814) . Regarding claim 1 and 22, Shi teaches an apparatus and an inter-DRX Assistance method for operating a user equipment (UE) and a base station (gNB), of a wireless communication system in a Discontinuous Reception (DRX) mode, the wireless communication system including a plurality of user equipments (UEs) and base stations (gNBs), and the UE and/or base stations (gNBs) communicating with one or more further user equipments (UEs) and base stations (gNBs) using the method comprising: (i.e. fig. 8 shows a wireless communication apparatus comprising a process, memory and transceivers for executing programmed instructions; see paragraphs 139 - 145) receiving, by the user equipment (UE), a least one Discontinuous Reception (DRX) configuration from one of a plurality of a Discontinuous Reception (DRX) configuration sources, characterized by that a plurality of Discontinuous Reception (DRX) configurations is configured for the same Medium Access Control (MAC) entity in order to reduce an energy consumption of the user equipments. (i.e. fig. 3 shows a terminal device may receive a plurality of DRX configurations and may select at least one configuration of the plurality of configurations (element 310), the plurality of DRX configurations are configured for the SAME MAC entity; see paragraphs 49 – 52, 111, 112) (See Also; the plurality of DRX configurations may be received by the network; see paragraph 66) Regarding claim 2, Shi teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein more than one Discontinuous Reception (DRX) configurations are configured for the same Medium Access Control (MAC) entity in order to provide a flexible resource allocation. (i.e. the plurality of DRX resource configurations are configured for the same MAC entity; see paragraph 129) (see Also; the multiple DRX configurations are provided to achieve scheduling flexibility and save power consumption; see paragraphs 44 - 46) Regarding claim 3, Shi teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein that more than one Discontinuous Reception (DRX) configurations is configured per bandwidth part (BWP) or component carrier (CC) or both. (i.e. multiple DRX configuration may be applied to a BWP; see paragraphs 72 - 75) Regarding claim 9, Shi teaches the method according to claim 1 characterized by that indication is done via Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) signaling. (i.e. the indication may be carrier in MAC CE signaling; see paragraph 90) Regarding claim 16, Shi teaches the method according to claim 1, UE, of a wireless communication system, the wireless communication system including a plurality of user equipments, UEs, and the UE communicating with one or more further UEs using a sidelink, SL, the method comprising: operating the UE in a Discontinuous Reception, DRX, mode in accordance with a DRX configuration including one or more DRX patterns defining a fixed length DRX cycle or an adaptive length DRX cycle for a time period the DRX configuration is valid, wherein, in case of a fixed length DRX cycle, an overall duration of a DRX cycle and the ON-OFF durations of the DRX cycle are fixed, and, in case of an adaptive length DRX cycle, an overall duration of a DRX cycle and/or the ON-OFF durations of the DRX cycle is adapted dependent on one or more parameters, e.g., parameters associated with the UE and/or the environment in which the UE is located. (i.e. the plurality of DRX configurations comprise multiple parameters in notifying the UE of different DRX cycles including fixed length ‘ON’ durations or adaptive that dynamically adjusts to traffic load such as short or long cycles, this occurs inherently in DRX configurations; see paragraphs 52 - 66) Regarding claim 17, Shi teaches the method according to claim 1 within a wireless communication system in a Discontinuous Reception, DRX, mode, the wireless communication system including a plurality of user equipments, UEs, and the UE communicating with one or more further UEs using a sidelink, SL, the method further comprising: aligning, by the UE, the DRX cycles of the UE with an access point, like a base station, gNB, or a gateway node, of the wireless communication system and/or one or more of the further UEs. (i.e. it is well known in the art that any DRX configurations are aligned with a base station so In idle or inactive states, the UE wakes up at precise "Paging Occasions (PO)" inherently matched to the base station's paging frames, allowing the network to notify the device of incoming calls without continuous listening, this is accomplished with configuration parameters; see paragraphs 52 - 66) Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 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. Claims 4, 5, 7, 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Shi (US Publication 2021/0176814. Regarding claim 4, Shi discloses all the recited limitations of claim 1 as described previously from which claim 4 depends. Shi does not teach wherein a first Discontinuous Reception (DRX) configuration is configured for a lower frequency band 1 (FR1) and a second Discontinuous Reception (DRX) configuration is configured for a higher frequency band 2 (FR2). (i.e. fig. 3 of SHI shows a plurality of DRX configuration for one MAC entity) It would have been obvious to a person with ordinary skill in the art before the time the invention was filed for the DRX configuration to comprise upper and lower frequency bands into Shi. In modern 3GPP 5G New Radio (NR) networks, UEs inherently operate using both lower sub-6 GHz frequencies (FR1) and higher millimeter-wave frequencies (FR2). Because these two bands possess radically different physical and propagation characteristics (e.g., beamforming requirements, signal attenuation, bandwidths), tuning their respective DRX cycles independently is a logical and expected design choice. A person with ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make the modification to Shi as (FR1) and (FR2) have different bandwidths and radio propagation behaviors, network would naturally apply a distinct DRX configuration to each band to prevent battery drain from constant scanning and to better tailor the UE's wake/sleep cycles to the varying data traffic patterns associated with each frequency. Regarding claim 5, Shi discloses all the recited limitations of claim 1 as described previously from which claim 5 depends. Shi does not teach wherein a first Discontinuous Reception (DRX) configuration is configured for a lower frequency band 1 (FR1) and a second Discontinuous Reception (DRX) configuration is configured for a higher frequency band 2 (FR2), whereby component carrier 1 (CC1) and component carrier 2 (CC2) can be operated either through frequency band 1 (FR1) or frequency band 2 (FR2). (i.e. fig. 3 of SHI shows a plurality of DRX configuration for one MAC entity) It would have been obvious to a person with ordinary skill in the art before the time the invention was filed for the DRX configuration to comprise upper and lower frequency bands into Shi. In modern 3GPP 5G New Radio (NR) networks, UEs inherently operate using both lower sub-6 GHz frequencies (FR1) and higher millimeter-wave frequencies (FR2). Because these two bands possess radically different physical and propagation characteristics (e.g., beamforming requirements, signal attenuation, bandwidths), tuning their respective DRX cycles independently is a logical and expected design choice. A person with ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make the modification to Shi as (FR1) and (FR2) have different bandwidths and radio propagation behaviors, network would naturally apply a distinct DRX configuration to each band to prevent battery drain from constant scanning and to better tailor the UE's wake/sleep cycles to the varying data traffic patterns associated with each frequency. Regarding claim 7, Shi discloses all the recited limitations of claim 1 as described previously from which claim 7 depends. Shi does not teach characterized by that transmitter part of the user equipment (TX UE) or the base station (gNB) is activating over component carrier 1 (CC1) via an indication in order to change the status of component carrier 2 (CC2) from sleep to on. (i.e. fig. 3 of SHI shows a plurality of DRX configuration for one MAC entity) It would have been obvious to a person with ordinary skill in the art before the time the invention was filed for utilize one component carrier to implement a change in another component carrier into Shi. 3GPP specifications already use mechanisms involving Cross-Carrier Scheduling (XCS) and Activation/Deactivation of SCells (Secondary Cells) via MAC Control Elements (MAC CEs). Using an active control channel on one carrier (CC1) to trigger state changes on another carrier (CC2) is an inherent, established feature of Carrier Aggregation. Further, Managing component carriers dynamically is an industry-standard practice for power-saving. Keeping secondary carriers asleep until needed is an obvious approach to conserving energy. A person with ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make the modification to Shi because DRX already forces the UE into periodic sleep cycles, turning off an entire Component Carrier (CC2) when not in use—and using a simple indication on the active carrier (CC1) to wake it up on demand—is a direct, predictable application of power-saving logic. Regarding claim 8, Shi discloses all the recited limitations of claim 1 as described previously from which claim 8 depends. Shi does not teach characterized by that transmitter part of the user equipment (TX UE) or the base station (gNB) is activating over component carrier 1 (CC1) via an indication in order to change the status of component carrier 2 (CC2) from on to sleep. (i.e. fig. 3 of SHI shows a plurality of DRX configuration for one MAC entity) It would have been obvious to a person with ordinary skill in the art before the time the invention was filed for utilize one component carrier to implement a change in another component carrier into Shi. 3GPP specifications already use mechanisms involving Cross-Carrier Scheduling (XCS) and Activation/Deactivation of SCells (Secondary Cells) via MAC Control Elements (MAC CEs). Using an active control channel on one carrier (CC1) to trigger state changes on another carrier (CC2) is an inherent, established feature of Carrier Aggregation. Further, Managing component carriers dynamically is an industry-standard practice for power-saving. Keeping secondary carriers asleep until needed is an obvious approach to conserving energy. A person with ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make the modification to Shi because DRX already forces the UE into periodic sleep cycles, turning off an entire Component Carrier (CC2) when not in use—and using a simple indication on the active carrier (CC1) to wake it up on demand—is a direct, predictable application of power-saving logic. Claims 11, 14, 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Shi (US Publication 2021/0176814) in view of Hong et al. (US Publication 2024/0365346). Regarding claim 11, Shi discloses all the recited limitations of claim 1 as described previously from which claim 11 depends. Shi does not teach characterized by that indication is done by Sidelink Control Information (SCI), Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH) and/or Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH). However, Hong teaches characterized by that indication is done by Sidelink Control Information (SCI), Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH) and/or Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH). (i.e. Hong discloses multiple SL DRX configurations which may be configured via SCI; see paragraphs 250, 265) It would have been obvious to a person with ordinary skill in the art before the time the invention was filed to support a plurality of sidelink DRX configurations of Hong into Shi. Both Hong and Shi teach a plurality of DRX configurations for a single MAC entity. A person with ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make the modification to Shi because just as the network can dynamically switch between DRX configurations for standard downlink traffic, applying this to sidelink enables UEs to adapt to changing proximity conditions, battery levels, or changing interference environments without dropping the connection. Regarding claim 14, Shi discloses all the recited limitations of claim 1 as described previously from which claim 14 depends. Shi does not teach wherein the user equipment (UE) is a sidelink UE (SL). However, Hong teaches wherein user equipment (UE) is a sidelink UE (SL). (i.e. Hong discloses a sidelink UE configured with multiple DRX configurations; see paragraphs 265) It would have been obvious to a person with ordinary skill in the art before the time the invention was filed to support a plurality of sidelink DRX configurations into a terminal device supporting sidelink of Hong into Shi. Both Hong and Shi teach a plurality of DRX configurations for a single MAC entity. A person with ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make the modification to Shi because just as the network can dynamically switch between DRX configurations for standard downlink traffic, applying this to sidelink enables UEs to adapt to changing proximity conditions, battery levels, or changing interference environments without dropping the connection. Regarding claim 18, Shi discloses all the recited limitations of claim 1 as described previously from which claim 18 depends. Shi does not teach within a wireless communication system in a Discontinuous Reception, DRX, mode, the wireless communication system including a plurality of user equipments, UEs, and the UE communicating with one or more further UEs using a sidelink, SL, the method comprising: setting, by the UE, an ON duration of a DRX cycle dependent on a certain purpose for which the UE is to use the ON duration. However, Hong teaches within a wireless communication system in a Discontinuous Reception, DRX, mode, the wireless communication system including a plurality of user equipments, UEs, and the UE communicating with one or more further UEs using a sidelink, SL, the method comprising: setting, by the UE, an ON duration of a DRX cycle dependent on a certain purpose for which the UE is to use the ON duration. (i.e. Hong discloses a sidelink UE configured with multiple DRX configurations, wherein the on durations serves the purpose of listening for a control channel transmissions from the base station; see paragraphs 265) It would have been obvious to a person with ordinary skill in the art before the time the invention was filed to support a plurality of sidelink DRX configurations into a terminal device supporting sidelink of Hong into Shi. Both Hong and Shi teach a plurality of DRX configurations for a single MAC entity. A person with ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make the modification to Shi because just as the network can dynamically switch between DRX configurations for standard downlink traffic, applying this to sidelink enables UEs to adapt to changing proximity conditions, battery levels, or changing interference environments without dropping the connection. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT J LOPATA whose telephone number is (571)270-5158. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 10-7 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, Sujoy Kundu can be reached at (571)272-8586. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. ROBERT J. LOPATA Primary Examiner Art Unit 2471 /ROBERT J LOPATA/ June 15, 2026Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2471 Application/Control Number: 18/839,481 Page 2 Art Unit: 2471
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