DETAILED ACTION
This action is responsive to the communications filed on 10/24/2024.
Currently, claims 1-9 are pending.
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 § 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.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claim 8 is 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, idiomatic, and/or logical errors.
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.
Claims 1-7 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ban et al. (US 2025/0254080: hereinafter “Ban”).
With regards to claims 1 and 9, Ban teaches a communication system (figs. 4-5 and 9-21, where at least figures 9+10 show a communication system), comprising:
a network controlled repeater (figs. 4-5 and 9-21: where the network controlled repeater (NCR) of figs. 9+10+11 is/are mapped to the claimed ‘network controlled repeater’); and
a network device (figs. 4-5 and 9-21: where gNB of figs. 9+10+11 is/are mapped to the claimed ‘network device’) configured to communicate with the repeater (figs. 4-5 and 9-21: where the NCR/repeater may communicate with the gNB via the internal MT processor circuitry and/or RT processing circuitry within the NCR/repeater (as shown graphically by at least figure 9). The remaining limitations were previously addressed and/or are readily apparent),
the (network controlled) repeater (previously addressed) comprises (addressed below):
MT processor circuitry configured to receive time division duplex (TDD) configuration information from the network device (figs. 4-5 and 9-21: where the MT processing circuitry within the NCR/repeater of figures 9+10+11 of Ban is/are mapped to the claimed MT processor circuitry. Furthermore, figs. 13+14 as well as paragraphs [0194-0197] discloses that the MT processor circuitry is configured to receive TDD UL/DL (and flex) configuration information from the gNB (in addition to the ‘side control information’)); and
forwarding processor circuitry configured to perform to not forwarding on a first flexible time unit (figs. 4-5 and 9-21: where the RU processing circuitry within the NCR/repeater of figures 9+10+11 of Ban is/are mapped to the claimed forwarding processor circuitry. Furthermore, figs. 13+14 as well as paragraphs [0194-0197] discloses that the RU processor circuitry is configured to “the RU may not perform an operation of forwarding a signal received from the gNB to the UE in the F-resource and may not perform an operation of forwarding a signal received from the UE to the gNB”, [0197]. Note that each “F-resource” is a respective ‘flexible time unit’ (as addressed in figures 12+13+14 as well as [0213+0214]), based upon the previously addressed ‘side control information’ from the gNB).
With regards to claim 2, Ban teaches the limitations of claim 1 above.
Ban further teaches wherein, a time-domain resource (figs. 4-5 and 9-21: see at least figures 12-14, which includes multiple time-domain resource that include downlink, uplink, and flexible time-domain resources as shown graphically) configured by the time division duplex (TDD) configuration information (previously addressed, i.e. the TDD UL/DL (and flexible) configuration information (and/or the ‘side control information’). Also see previously cited paragraphs [0194-0197] and [0213-0214]) comprises at least one of the following time units: a downlink time unit, a flexible time unit, and an uplink time unit (previously addressed and/or readily apparent).
With regards to claim 3, Ban teaches the limitations of claim 2 above.
Ban further teaches wherein, the first flexible time unit comprises at least a part of the flexible time unit in the time division duplex configuration (previously addressed, i.e. the TDD UL/DL (and flexible) configuration information (and/or the ‘side control information’. The remaining limitations were previously addressed and/or are readily apparent).
With regards to claim 4, Ban teaches the limitations of claim 2 above.
Ban further teaches wherein, the forwarding processor circuitry (previously addressed and mapped to the RU of the NCR/repeater of Ban) performs downlink forwarding on the downlink time unit (where the RU of the NCR/repeater of Ban (as previously addressed) ‘forwards’ downlink signals on the downlink channel transmitted from the gNB to the UE (e.g. see at least figures 9+11) during the dedicated downlink time resources (each labelled using a “D”) as indicated within the frame(s) as shown by figures 12+13+14. The remaining limitations were previously addressed and/or are readily apparent); the forwarding processor circuitry (previously addressed and mapped to the RU of the NCR/repeater of Ban) performs uplink forwarding on the uplink time unit (where the RU of the NCR/repeater of Ban (as previously addressed) ‘forwards’ uplink signals on the uplink channel transmitted from the UE to the gNB (e.g. see at least figures 9+11) during the dedicated uplink time resources (each labelled using a “U”) as indicated within the frame(s) as shown by figures 12+13+14. The remaining limitations were previously addressed and/or are readily apparent).
With regards to claim 5, Ban teaches the limitations of claim 4 above.
Ban further teaches wherein, the uplink forwarding (previously addressed) comprising forwarding a channel and/or a signal transmitted by a terminal equipment (UE) to the network device (gNB) (these limitations were previously addressed and/or are readily apparent), the downlink forwarding comprising forwarding a channel and/or a signal transmitted by the network device (gNB) to the terminal equipment (UE) (these limitations were previously addressed and/or are readily apparent).
With regards to claim 6, Ban teaches the limitations of claim 1 above.
Ban further teaches wherein, the time division duplex configuration (previously addressed) comprises semi-static time division duplex configuration and/or dynamic time division duplex configuration (figs. 4-5 and 9-21: note both semi-static TDD configuration and dynamic TDD configuration are addressed by Ban, as addressed below),
wherein the semi-static time division duplex configuration is indicated by at least one of RRC signaling, MAC layer signaling and physical layer signaling (see at least [0179], [0181], and [0191-0193]; RRC, MAC-CE, and DCI (i.e. physical layer) signaling types are disclosed for indicating/conveying semi-static TDD configuration are disclosed), and
the dynamic time division duplex configuration is indicated by at least one of RRC signaling, MAC layer signaling and physical layer signaling (see at least [0179+0187+200] and [0195-0196]; RRC, MAC-CE and DCI (i.e. physical layer) signaling types are disclosed for indicating/conveying dynamic TDD configuration are disclosed).
With regards to claim 7, Ban teaches the limitations of claim 6 above.
Ban further teaches wherein, the semi-static time division duplex configuration (previously addressed) comprises cell-common time division duplex configuration (figs. 4-5 and 9-21: see paragraphs [0178-0179] and TABLE_5; also see [0186-0188]) and/or repeater-dedicated time division duplex configuration (NOT given patentable weight due to the “and/or” phrase),
the repeater-dedicated time division duplex configuration is configured only on a flexible area unit of the cell-common time division duplex configuration (NOT given patentable weight due to the “and/or” phrase).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure and are cited in the attached PTO-892 form.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to James M. Perez, telephone number (571)270-3231. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday: 10am to 6pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, David C. Payne can be reached at (571)272-3024. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JAMES M PEREZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2635 12/27/2025
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