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 § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-12 and 14-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US 2025/0056434 A1 herein Li.
Claim 1, Li discloses a user equipment (UE) (Abstract, UE), comprising:
at least one memory (0557, one or more memories, configured to store instructions); and
at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the UE to (0557, the memory is coupled to the processor; the instructions may be run on the processor, so that the communication apparatus performs the method):
obtain configuration information for sidelink synchronization signal block (S-SSB) in an unlicensed spectrum (0257, (pre)configuration may mean one or more of predefinition, RRC configuration, SCI indication, MAC CE indication, and DCI indication; 0263, frequency domain resources corresponding to the M resource windows are unlicensed resources), wherein the configuration information includes at least one of the following: a first configuration associated with a time interval between adjacent S-SSB occasions sharing a same channel occupancy time (COT); a second configuration for performing listen before talk (LBT) type 2; or
a third configuration for performing LBT type 1 (0221, first-type LBT: a communication device can access a channel and send data only after performing random backoff; 0532, all parameters in this application may be predefined or preconfigured; 0535, the terminal apparatus may access a channel after a period of time indicated by a network apparatus, or predefined by the network apparatus and the terminal device);
perform an LBT procedure associated with an S-SSB occasion based on the configuration information (0286, LBT is performed before each resource in the window; LBT is sequentially performed for each resource in the window in a time domain sequence); and
transmit an S-SSB on the S-SSB occasion in response to the LBT procedure being successful (0287, when a listening result for the resource is that the channel is idle, the resource may be selected; 0331, the first terminal apparatus sends the SSB P times through the P resources).
Claim 2, Li discloses the UE of claim 1.
Li discloses wherein the configuration information is based on at least one of the following granularities: per channel bandwidth, per carrier, per bandwidth part, per frequency range, or per subcarrier spacing (SCS); or wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to receive the configuration information via at least one of: a master information block (MIB) message, a system information block (SIB) message, a radio resource control (RRC) signaling, or a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) (0257, (pre)configuration may mean one or more of predefinition, RRC configuration, SCI indication, MAC CE indication, and DCI indication; 0301, indicated by a network apparatus by using RRC or PCS RRC, or indicated in a PSBCH, for example, in a MIB-SL).
Claim 3, Claim 3 further limits an alternative of claim 1. Since Li discloses the third configuration, all of the limitations of claim 3 have been met.
Claim 4, Claim 4 further limits an alternative of claim 1. Since Li discloses the third configuration, all of the limitations of claim 4 have been met.
Claim 5, Claim 5 further limits an alternative of claim 1. Since Li discloses the third configuration, all of the limitations of claim 5 have been met.
Claim 6, Claim 6 further limits an alternative of claim 1. Since Li discloses the third configuration, all of the limitations of claim 6 have been met.
Claim 7, Claim 7 further limits an alternative of claim 1. Since Li discloses the third configuration, all of the limitations of claim 7 have been met.
Claim 8, Claim 8 further limits an alternative of claim 1. Since Li discloses the third configuration, all of the limitations of claim 8 have been met.
Claim 9, Li discloses the UE of claim 1.
Li discloses wherein the third configuration indicates at least one of: an LBT type (0238, second-type LBT);
a first mapping between channel access priority class (CAPC) value(s) and priority(ies) for synchronization reference; a second mapping between CAPC value(s) and length(s) of COT(s) for S-SSB (0232, mp, CWmin,p, and CWmax,p are determined based on a channel access priority class p associated with transmission of the network device or the terminal device, as shown in Table 1.a and Table 1.b; 0233, Tmcot,p is maximum channel occupancy time for the priority p); or an MCOT for S-SSB.
Claim 10, Claim 10 further limits an alternative of claim 9. Since Li discloses the second mapping between CAPC value(s) and length(s) of COT(s) for S-SSB, all of the limitations of claim 10 have been met.
Claim 11, Li discloses the UE of claim 9.
Li discloses wherein a shorter length of a COT for SSB is mapped to a smaller CAPC value (0232, Table 1.a, channel access priority class 1 corresponds to Tmcot,p of 2 ms and priority classes 3 and 4 to 8 or 10 ms; 0233, a smaller value of the priority class in Table 1 indicates a higher priority).
Claim 12, Claim 12 further limits an alternative of claim 1. Since Li discloses the third configuration, all of the limitations of claim 12 have been met.
Claim 14, as analyzed with respect to the limitations as discussed in claim 1.
Li discloses a base station (0207, the network device may be a base station, a next generation NodeB (gNB)), comprising:
at least one memory (0557, one or more memories, configured to store instructions); and
at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the base station to (0557, the memory is coupled to the processor; the instructions may be run on the processor).
Claim 15, as analyzed with respect to the limitations as discussed in claim 1. Li discloses a method performed by a user equipment (UE) (Abstract, Method).
Claim 16, as analyzed with respect to the limitations as discussed in claim 1. Li discloses a processor for wireless communication (Abstract, processor), comprising:
at least one controller coupled with at least one memory and configured to cause the processor to (0556, various processors are listed including a central processing unit, a memory; 0112, the chip may further include a memory; the memory stores instructions; the processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory).
Claim 17, as analyzed with respect to the limitations as discussed in claim 2.
Claim 18, Claim 18 further limits an alternative of claim 16. Since Li discloses the third configuration, all of the limitations of claim 18 have been met.
Claim 19, as analyzed with respect to the limitations as discussed in claim 9.
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.
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.
Claim(s) 13 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li in view of US 2022/0159709 A1 herein Xue.
Claim 13, Li discloses the UE of claim 7.
Li discloses wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to:
perform the LBT procedure associated with the S-SSB occasion in a sensing inteNal, wherein a length of the sensing interval is determined based on the LBT type (further limiting the alternative of the second configuration of claim 7).
Li may not explicitly disclose transmit the CPE to occupy a channel until a starting boundary of the S-SSB occasion in response to the LBT procedure being successful.
Xue discloses transmit the CPE to occupy a channel until a starting boundary of the S-SSB occasion in response to the LBT procedure being successful (0143, the UE may attempt to employ a CP extension into the time gap to enable the UE to transmit feedback associated with the data transmission within a same COT; 0145, the UE may use the COT to transmit feedback over the PSFCH without leaving the time gap before the PSFCH opportunity empty). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Li to include a cyclic prefix extension occupying the gap preceding a transmission occasion, as taught by Xue, so as to transmit within the same channel occupancy time and refrain from giving up a current COT (0145).
Claim 20, as analyzed with respect to the limitations as discussed in claim 13.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 20250220605 A1 - A method for operating a first device (100) in a wireless communication system is proposed. The method may comprise the steps of: obtaining SL synchronization priority information set to GNSS-based synchronization or base station-based synchronization; selecting at least one synchronization criterion on the basis of the SL synchronization priority information; obtaining time synchronization from the at least one synchronization criterion; and transmitting an S-SSB including PSBCH, S-PSS, and S-SSS on an unlicensed band, on the basis of the time synchronization.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Mehmood B. Khan whose telephone number is (571)272-9277. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30 am-6:30 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Asad Nawaz can be reached at (571) 272-3988. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Mehmood B. Khan/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2463
MEHMOOD B. KHAN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2463
