DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because the location of figure numbers in drawing requirements is crucial for clarity and PSPTO compliance. Figure numbers should be placed directly below the figure on the drawing sheet, slightly to the bottom-left or bottom-right, and should not interfere with reference numerals or lead lines. If the drawing sheet extends too close to the top edge, the number may be shifted to the right. This place meant ensures that the figure numbers are clear and properly references throughout the application. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The following guidelines illustrate the preferred layout for the specification of a utility application. These guidelines are suggested for the applicant’s use.
Arrangement of the Specification
As provided in 37 CFR 1.77(b), the specification of a utility application should include the following sections in order. Each of the lettered items should appear in upper case, without underlining or bold type, as a section heading. If no text follows the section heading, the phrase “Not Applicable” should follow the section heading:
(a) TITLE OF THE INVENTION.
(b) CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS.
(c) STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT.
(d) THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT.
(e) INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A READ-ONLY OPTICAL DISC, AS A TEXT FILE OR AN XML FILE VIA THE PATENT ELECTRONIC SYSTEM.
(f) STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR A JOINT INVENTOR.
(g) BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION.
(1) Field of the Invention.
(2) Description of Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98.
(h) BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION.
(i) BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S).
(j) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION.
(k) CLAIM OR CLAIMS (commencing on a separate sheet).
(l) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE (commencing on a separate sheet).
(m) SEQUENCE LISTING. (See MPEP § 2422.03 and 37 CFR 1.821 - 1.825). A “Sequence Listing” is required on paper if the application discloses a nucleotide or amino acid sequence as defined in 37 CFR 1.821(a) and if the required “Sequence Listing” is not submitted as an electronic document either on read-only optical disc or as a text file via the patent electronic system.
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: paragraph [101], line 2, “physical downlink control channel (PDSCH)” appears to be “physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)”. Appropriate correction is required.
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
Claims 5-6, 11-12, and 21-22 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 5, line 4, “a slot configuration period,” should be “a slot configuration period, and”; and line 7, “with only uplink symbols,” should be “with only uplink symbols, and”.
Claim 11, lines 3-4, “a slot configuration period,” should be “a slot configuration period, and”; and line 6, “with only uplink symbols,” should be “with only uplink symbols, and”.
Claim 21, line 3, “a slot configuration period,” should be “a slot configuration period, and”; and line 5, “with only uplink symbols,” should be “with only uplink symbols, and”.
Claim 6 depends from claim 5, therefore it is also objected.
Claim 12 depends from claim 11, therefore it is also objected.
Claim 22 depends from claim 21, therefore it is also objected.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
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.
Claims 5-6, 11-12, and 21-22 are 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.
The phrase “flexible symbols” recited in line 1 of claim 5 uses the same phrase “flexible symbols” recited in the precedent claim 1 (line 10); the phrase “downlink symbols” recited in lines 6-7 and line 7 of claim 5 uses the same phrase “downlink symbols” recited in the precedent claim 1 (line 9); and the phrase “uplink symbols” recited in lines 7 and 8 of claim 5 uses the same phrase “uplink symbols” recited in the precedent claim 1 (line 9). Clarifications are required to clarify the differences.
The phrase “flexible symbols” recited in line 2 of claim 11 uses the same phrase “flexible symbols” recited in the precedent claim 8 (line 14); the phrase “downlink symbols” recited in lines 5 and 6 of claim 11 uses the same phrase “downlink symbols” recited in the precedent claim 8 (line 14); and the phrase “uplink symbols” recited in line 6 and lines 6-7 of claim 5 uses the same phrase “uplink symbols” recited in the precedent claim 8 (line 14). Clarifications are required to clarify the differences.
The phrase “flexible symbols” recited in line 1 of claim 21 uses the same phrase “flexible symbols” recited in the precedent claim 13 (line 13); the phrase “downlink symbols” recited in lines 4 and 5 of claim 21 uses the same phrase “downlink symbols” recited in the precedent claim 13 (line 13); and the phrase “uplink symbols” recited in lines 5 and lines 5-6 of claim 21 uses the same phrase “uplink symbols” recited in the precedent claim 13 (line 13). Clarifications are required to clarify the differences.
Claim 12 (lines 2, 3-4, and 4), claim 12 (lines 2, 3, and 4), and claim 22 (lines 2 and 3), the phrases “the flexible symbols”, “the downlink symbols”, and “the uplink symbols” all lack antecedent basis.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-3, 8-10, 13, 19, and 20 are allowed.
Claims 5-6, 11-12, and 21-22 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the objection(s) set forth in this Office action.
Claims 5-6, 11-12, and 21-22 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Luo et al. relates to a wireless communication system in Figure 6 comprising z relay node (610) for communications with a parent network node (605) and a child network node (615) to provide a flexible slot structure to support dynamic TDD and assign the symbols of a slot as downlink, uplink, or flexible. Symbols designated for downlink may be utilized for downlink transmissions, symbols designated for uplink may be utilized for uplink transmissions, and symbols designated as flexible symbols may be overridden as downlink or uplink symbols based on received configuration signals.
LIM et al. relates to a communication system in Figure 5 comprising a repeater (200) for receiving a broadcast signal from a base station (gNB 100) and a resource allocation information including at least one of a number of DL slots, a number of DL symbols, a number of UL slots, a number of UL symbols, a time division duplex (TDD) transmission periodicity, and an absolute radio-frequency channel number (ARFCN) from a user (UE 300), and extracting synchronization by acquiring a boundary between an uplink (UL) signal and a downlink (DL) signal from the resource allocation information, based on the start position of a radio frame. The resource allocation information indicates information about arrangement of the UL signal and the DL signal in the radio frame.
ABEDINI et al. relates to a communication system in Figure 8 comprising a wireless node (820), a base station (control node 810), and a user equipment (wireless node 830). The wireless node may receive, from the control node, information identifying a slot configuration pattern and selective full-duplex or half-duplex operations for scheduled communications based in part on the slot configuration pattern for a wireless communication link between the wireless node and another wireless node, wherein dedicated RRC signaling for the wireless node or a slot format indicator (SFI) carried in downlink control information (DCI) and in the dedicated signaling, one or more flexible symbols may be relabeled as downlink symbols, uplink symbols, or full-duplex symbols.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Young T. Tse whose telephone number is (571)272-3051. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 10:30am-7pm.
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, Chieh M Fan can be reached at 571-272-3042. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Young T. Tse/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2632