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.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 02/27/2025 is considered. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97.
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 1-16 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.
Independent claim 1 recites the limitation "wherein, in case that the at least one cell includes at least one of a deactivated secondary cell (SCell) or an activated SCell including an activated dormant bandwidth part (BWP), HARQ-ACK information associated with the deactivated SCell and HARQ-ACK information associated with the activated SCell including the activated dormant BWP is generated based on a parameter associated with a HARQ-ACK information generation, which is configured for a reference BWP" in lines 9-13.
Considering that the first part (or conditional statement) of the claim limitation is presented in alternative form, i.e. “…in case that the at least one cell includes at least one of a deactivated secondary cell (SCell) or an activated SCell including an activated dormant bandwidth part (BWP)…”, it is not clear if (1) the claim invention is intended generate both the “HARQ-ACK information associated with the deactivated SCell” and the “HARQ-ACK information associated with the activated SCell including the activated dormant BWP” or (2) the claimed invention is intended to generate at least one of the “HARQ-ACK information associated with the deactivated SCell” and the “HARQ-ACK information associated with the activated SCell including the activated dormant BWP”.
Although the claimed invention appears to generate both HARQ-ACK information, the original specification of the application contradicts the claimed invention. Par. 0283-0287 shows:
[0283] FIG. 13 illustrates a flowchart of a method for acquiring parameters according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
[0284] In the first step 1300, the UE may receive Scell deactivation or dormant BWP activation from the base station. The Scell may be deactivated, or the dormant BWP may be activated.
[0285] In the second step 1310, the UE may receive a request for transmission of a HARQ-ACK codebook of cells included in a PUCCH cell from the base station. The PUCCH cell may include the Scell of the first step. Therefore, the UE may generate a HARQ-ACK codebook including HARQ-ACK bits of the deactivated Scell or the Scell the dormant BWP of which has been activated.
[0286] In the third step 1320, the UE may acquire the value of a parameter for HARQ-ACK codebook generation. If necessary parameters are configure for the deactivated Scell or dormant BWP, the value of the parameter may be used. Otherwise, the UE may acquire the value of the parameter through an embodiment of the disclosure.
[0287] In the fourth step 1330, the UE may generate a HARQ-ACK codebook, based on the acquired parameter value, and may transmit the same to the base station.
The contradiction between the claimed invention the original specification renders the claimed invention as being indefinite as it fails to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Applicant is advised to revise the claim language presented to clarify the claimed invention or clarify in a response how there is no contradiction between the claimed invention and that of the original specification.
Regarding independent claims 5, 9 and 13, these claims are also rejected based on the same reasoning as presented in independent claim 1.
Regarding dependent claims 2-4, 6-8, 10-12 and 14-16, these claims are also rejected by virtue of their respective dependencies with their independent claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
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/REDENTOR PASIA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2413
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