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 Objections
Claims 9, 14, 17, 18, and 19 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 9, in line 3, replace “a second terminal side” with --the second terminal--.
Regarding claim 14, in lines 1, 3, and 4, replace “the first terminal” with --the terminal--.
Regarding claim 17, in line 4, replace “a second terminal side” with --the second terminal--.
Regarding claim 18, in line 3, replace “a second terminal side” with --the second terminal--.
Regarding claim 19, in line 1, replace “the first terminal” with --the terminal--.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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.
Claims 1-2, 6, 8-9, 11-13, 16-18, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Hu et al (US 2023/0106442 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Hu discloses a channel transmission method (Fig. 5), comprising:
obtaining, by a first terminal, resource information for sidelink transmission on an unlicensed band (Fig. 5, block 504 and 53rd paragraph, target UE receives detects COT sharing indicator from an initiator UE. At a 5 GHz or 6 GHz unlicensed band, the target UE that intends to send data to other UEs on the unlicensed band, checks for the reception of at least one COT sharing indicator from other neighboring initiator UEs); and
performing the sidelink transmission by using a first mode based on the resource information (Fig. 5, COT sharing possible mode); wherein the first mode comprises at least one of the following:
performing the sidelink transmission on multiple sidelink transmission resources, wherein a first signal is filled between two of the multiple sidelink transmission resources (100th paragraph, AGC symbol may be extended to start transmission in part of the GP of 1st slot. This limitation can be an alternative), such that a gap between the two sidelink transmission resources is less than or equal to a first time threshold (Fig. 4, time gap 410 < X. This limitation can be an alternative); or
determining a channel occupancy time (COT) initiated by a second terminal, and performing the sidelink transmission by sharing the COT initiated by the second terminal (Fig. 5, blocks 504, 506, and 508, target UE detects COT sharing indicator and transmits data with COT sharing); wherein
the sidelink transmission resource comprises at least one of the following: a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), a PSFCH, a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) (Fig. 5, block 508 and/or 35th paragraph, higher layer can request UE to determine a subset of resources from which the higher layer will select resources for PSSCH/PSCCH transmission), or an automatic gain control (AGC) symbol (100th paragraph, AGC symbol may be extended to start transmission).
Regarding claims 2 and 13, Hu discloses that wherein the method further comprises: transmitting the first signal before a start time of a first transmission resource (100th paragraph, AGC symbol may be extended to start transmission in part of the GP of 1st slot), wherein the first transmission resource comprises at least one of a first PSSCH, a first PSCCH (35th paragraph, higher layer can request UE to determine a subset of resources from which the higher layer will select resources for PSSCH/PSCCH transmission), or the automatic gain control (AGC) symbol (100th paragraph, AGC symbol); and/or transmitting the first signal after an end time of a second PSSCH or first PSFCH (alternative); wherein the two sidelink transmission resources are adjacent, and the two sidelink transmission resources comprise the first transmission resource and the second PSSCH (Fig. 2, n+T1 and n+T2) or first PSFCH before the first transmission resource (alternative).
Regarding claims 6 and 16, Hu discloses that wherein the first signal comprises at least one of the following: a cyclic prefix (CP) extension; a CP extension for an automatic gain control (AGC) symbol (100th paragraph, AGC symbol); at least part of a specific symbol of the PSSCH; or a specific pilot signal.
Regarding claims 8 and 17, Hu discloses that wherein the method further comprises: not sharing, by the first terminal, the COT of the second terminal when a value of a COT duration field in first SCI received from a second terminal side is 0 or an invalid value (93rd paragraph, target UE receives COT sharing indicator and the remaining COT duration in the COT sharing indicator can not accommodate SL data transmission then the UE re-requests a new SL grant. This implies that COT initiated by the other UE can not be shared by the target UE).
Regarding claims 9 and 18, Hu discloses that wherein a duration shared by the first terminal of the COT of the second terminal is determined by a value of a COT duration field in first SCI received by the first terminal from a second terminal side (62nd paragraph, COT sharing indicator has an updated COT duration as time passes).
Regarding claim 11, Hu discloses that wherein resources of the COT initiated by the second terminal shared by the first terminal are indicated by a resource selection window location Resource selection window location field in SCI 2-C (Fig. 6 and 58th paragraph, COT sharing indicator may be signaled in 2nd stage SCI over PSSCH); or the resources of the COT initiated by the second terminal shared by the first terminal are jointly indicated by a resource combinations Resource combinations field, a first resource location First resource location field, a reference slot location Reference slot location field, and a number of subchannels Number of subchannels field in the SCI 2-C (55th paragraph, Table 1 indicates sub-bands).
Regarding claim 12, Hu discloses a terminal (Fig. 10, target UE 1000) comprising a processor and a memory (Fig. 10, memory 1030 and processor 1020), wherein the memory stores a program or instruction capable of running on the processor, wherein the program or instruction, when executed by the processor (Fig. 1), causes the terminal to perform:
obtaining resource information for sidelink transmission on an unlicensed band (Fig. 5, block 504 and 53rd paragraph, target UE receives detects COT sharing indicator from an initiator UE. At a 5 GHz or 6 GHz unlicensed band, the target UE that intends to send data to other UEs on the unlicensed band, checks for the reception of at least one COT sharing indicator from other neighboring initiator UEs); and
performing the sidelink transmission by using a first mode based on the resource information (Fig. 5, COT sharing possible mode); wherein the first mode comprises at least one of the following:
performing the sidelink transmission on multiple sidelink transmission resources, wherein a first signal is filled between two of the multiple sidelink transmission resources (100th paragraph, AGC symbol may be extended to start transmission in part of the GP of 1st slot. This limitation can be an alternative), such that a gap between the two sidelink transmission resources is less than or equal to a first time threshold (Fig. 4, time gap 410 < X. This limitation can be an alternative); or
determining a channel occupancy time (COT) initiated by a second terminal, and performing the sidelink transmission by sharing the COT initiated by the second terminal (Fig. 5, blocks 504, 506, and 508, target UE detects COT sharing indicator and transmits data with COT sharing); wherein
the sidelink transmission resource comprises at least one of the following: a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), a PSFCH, a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) (Fig. 5, block 508 and/or 35th paragraph, higher layer can request UE to determine a subset of resources from which the higher layer will select resources for PSSCH/PSCCH transmission), or an automatic gain control (AGC) symbol (100th paragraph, AGC symbol may be extended to start transmission).
Regarding claim 20, Hu discloses a non-transitory readable storage medium (Fig. 10, memory 130 storing instructions), wherein the non-transitory readable storage medium stores a program or instruction, wherein the program or instruction, when executed by a processor (Fig. 10, processor 1020 executing instructions), causes the processor to perform:
obtaining resource information for sidelink transmission on an unlicensed band (Fig. 5, block 504 and 53rd paragraph, target UE receives detects COT sharing indicator from an initiator UE. At a 5 GHz or 6 GHz unlicensed band, the target UE that intends to send data to other UEs on the unlicensed band, checks for the reception of at least one COT sharing indicator from other neighboring initiator UEs); and
performing the sidelink transmission by using a first mode based on the resource information (Fig. 5, COT sharing possible mode); wherein the first mode comprises at least one of the following:
performing the sidelink transmission on multiple sidelink transmission resources, wherein a first signal is filled between two of the multiple sidelink transmission resources (100th paragraph, AGC symbol may be extended to start transmission in part of the GP of 1st slot. This limitation can be an alternative), such that a gap between the two sidelink transmission resources is less than or equal to a first time threshold (Fig. 4, time gap 410 < X. This limitation can be an alternative); or
determining a channel occupancy time (COT) initiated by a second terminal, and performing the sidelink transmission by sharing the COT initiated by the second terminal (Fig. 5, blocks 504, 506, and 508, target UE detects COT sharing indicator and transmits data with COT sharing); wherein
the sidelink transmission resource comprises at least one of the following: a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), a PSFCH, a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) (Fig. 5, block 508 and/or 35th paragraph, higher layer can request UE to determine a subset of resources from which the higher layer will select resources for PSSCH/PSCCH transmission), or an automatic gain control (AGC) symbol (100th paragraph, AGC symbol may be extended to start transmission).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu in view of Ji et al (US 2024/0267948 A1).
Regarding claim 4, Hu discloses that SCI, from the initiator UE, including start slot and end slot of COT (54th and 57th paragraphs). Hu does not disclose that wherein the first PSSCH is located within a COT in which the second PSSCH or the first PSFCH is located, and the COT comprises a COT initiated by the first terminal and the shared COT initiated by the second terminal. Ji discloses that the first terminal initiating the outside COT and the another terminal initiating the inside COT (84th paragraph). Ji discloses that the COT including a plurality of resources for sidelink communication (Fig. 1). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include resources in COTs initiated by first and second terminals for sidelink communications in Hu’s system, as suggested by Ji, to accommodate large transmissions.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu in view of Wong et al (US 2024/0365376 A1).
Regarding claim 7, Hu discloses that SCI, from the initiator UE, including start slot and end slot of COT (54th and 57th paragraphs). Hu does not disclose that the start time and end time of COT are determined by a PSFCH and/or a channel access priority class. Wong discloses that the duration of the COT depends on the value p, which is the Channel Access Priority Class (CAPC) of the transmission (44th paragraph). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to determine the start and end time of COT based on CAPC in Hu’s system, as suggested by Wong, to accommodate the QoS of the transmitting packet.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 5, 10, 14, 15, and 19 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Liu et al (US Patent No. 12,574,960 B2), same field of endeavor, discloses PSFCH transmissions in COT having adaptive cyclic prefix extension (Figs. 6-9).
Bhamri et al (US 2023/0403055 A1), same field of endeavor, discloses COT sensing (Fig. 9).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANH VU H LY whose telephone number is (571)272-3175. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-5pm.
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ANH VU H. LY
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2472
/ANH VU H LY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2472
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