DETAILED ACTION
Notice of 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
The priority document(s), which have been placed on record in the file, are acknowledged.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 06/16/2025 is acknowledged.
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 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 of this title, 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.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yi et al. (US 20210144582 A1), hereinafter referenced as Yi, in view of Xiaowei Jiang (US 20180192319 A1), hereinafter referenced as Jiang.
Regarding claims 1, 6 and 11, Yi teaches a scheduling request method, performed by a terminal (Para. [0285]-Yi discloses wireless device may trigger a SR {Scheduling Request} via the SR configuration. Fig. 1A, Para. [0048]-Yi discloses RAN 104 may connect the CN 102 to the wireless device 106 through radio communications over an air interface. As part of the radio communications, the RAN 104 may provide scheduling, radio resource management, and retransmission protocols. The communication direction from the RAN 104 to the wireless device 106 over the air interface is known as the downlink and the communication direction from the wireless device 106 to the RAN 104 over the air interface is known as the uplink. Fig. 15, Para. [0211-0212]-Yi discloses wireless device 1502 and the base station 1504 may include multiple antennas. The multiple antennas may be used to perform one or more MIMO or multi-antenna techniques ... The processing system 1508 and the processing system 1518 may be associated with a memory 1514 and a memory 1524, respectively. Memory 1514 and memory 1524 (e.g., one or more non-transitory computer readable mediums) may store computer program instructions or code that may be executed by the processing system 1508 and/or the processing system 1518 to carry out one or more of the functionalities), wherein the method comprises:
generating a buffer status report (BSR) based on a second buffer size in a case that a first buffer size corresponding to to-be-sent data falls within a first preset range (Para. [0285]-Yi discloses a wireless device may have new sidelink data available at a MAC layer. The wireless device may trigger a BSR and compute a first buffer size level for the BSR. When a logical channel of the new sidelink data is associated with the SR configuration with the one or more parameters, the wireless device may determine the first buffer size level of the BSR is greater than the nominal buffer size level indicated by the base station. In response to the determining, the wireless device may continue BSR process and may trigger a corresponding SR. Fig. 21, Para. [0247]-Yi discloses the wireless device may provide one or more UE assistance information. For example, the one or more UE assistance indication may comprise a set of traffic pattern assistance information … The traffic pattern assistance information may comprise a nominal buffer size level for the traffic/sidelink session. The base station may utilize the nominal buffer size level, if indicated, in scheduling resources for sidelink transmissions),
the second buffer size is greater than or equal to the first buffer size (Para. [0285]-Yi discloses a wireless device may have new sidelink data available at a MAC layer. The wireless device may trigger a BSR and compute a first buffer size level for the BSR. When a logical channel of the new sidelink data is associated with the SR configuration with the one or more parameters, the wireless device may determine the first buffer size level of the BSR is greater than the nominal buffer size level indicated by the base station. In response to the determining, the wireless device may continue BSR process and may trigger a corresponding SR. Fig. 21, Para. [0247]-Yi discloses the wireless device may provide one or more UE assistance information. For example, the one or more UE assistance indication may comprise a set of traffic pattern assistance information … The traffic pattern assistance information may comprise a nominal buffer size level for the traffic/sidelink session. The base station may utilize the nominal buffer size level, if indicated, in scheduling resources for sidelink transmissions); and
sending the BSR to a network side device (Fig. 30, Para. [0314]-Yi discloses the wireless device may trigger a transmission of a buffer status report in response to sidelink data of the logical channel becoming available).
Yi fails to explicitly teach the second buffer size is determined based on the first buffer size.
However, Jiang teaches the second buffer size is determined based on the first buffer size (Para. [0007-0008]-Jiang discloses method for triggering a buffer status report (BSR). The method includes determining, by a user equipment, a data size of a transmission to be sent by the user equipment to a base station … When determining the data size of the transmission, the method includes acquiring a buffer size range {Corresponding to the first buffer size} indicated by a previous BSR that is transmitted to the base station by the user equipment at a previous time with respect to a current time, the data size to be sent by the user equipment being a minimum value or a maximum value of the buffer size range {Corresponding to the second buffer size}).
Yi and Jiang are both considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of communication network, dealing with buffer status report (BSR).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the Yi to incorporate the teachings of Jiang on BSR, with a motivation to compute buffer size, and guarantee being able to send data in the uplink buffer to the eNodeB, (Jiang, Para. [0005]).
Regarding claims 2, 7 and 12, Yi in view of Jiang teaches the method according to claim 1, the electronic device according to claim 6 and the non-transitory readable storage medium according to claim 11 respectively,
Yi further teaches the method further comprises: sending a scheduling request (SR) in a target subframe in a case that the first buffer size corresponding to the to-be-sent data is greater than a first threshold (Para. [0285]-Yi discloses the wireless device may determine the first buffer size level is equal to or smaller than the nominal buffer size level. In response to the determining, the wireless device may trigger a SR via the SR configuration. Para. [0277]-Yi discloses when the computed buffer size level is smaller than or equal to the indicated buffer size level, the wireless device may trigger the first SR via the first SR configuration. The wireless device may transmit the first SR via a PUCCH when there is valid PUCCH resource(s) based on the first SR configuration. Para. [0271]-Yi discloses wireless device may be configured with a SR configuration. For example, a sr-ProhibitTimer is not configured or the sr-ProhibitTimer is configured with a small value (e.g., 1 slot) for the SR configuration. Fig. 7, Para. [0115]-Yi discloses slots-per-subframe transmission structure);
the SR is used to request the network side device to allocate uplink resources to the terminal (Para. [0172]-Yi discloses the UE may initiate the random access procedure to request uplink resources (e.g., for uplink transmission of an SR when there is no PUCCH resource available) and/or acquire uplink timing (e.g., when uplink synchronization status is non-synchronized));
the target subframe comprises a first subframe and a second subframe (Fig. 7, Para. [0113-0115]-Yi discloses configuration of an NR frame into which OFDM symbols are grouped. An NR frame may be identified by a system frame number (SFN). The SFN may repeat with a period of 1024 frames. As illustrated, one NR frame may be 10 milliseconds (ms) in duration and may include 10 subframes that are 1 ms in duration. A subframe may be divided into slots that include, for example, 14 OFDM symbols per slot ... numerology-dependent slot duration and slots-per-subframe transmission structure ... A subframe in NR may be used as a numerology-independent time reference, while a slot may be used as the unit upon which uplink and downlink transmissions are scheduled);
the first subframe is a subframe configured by the network side device for the SR (Fig. 18, Para. [0229]-Yi discloses each resource unit may comprise, for example, one or more slots, one or more subframes, and/or one or more OFDM symbols. Para. [0271]-Yi discloses wireless device may be configured with a SR configuration. For example, a sr-ProhibitTimer is not configured or the sr-ProhibitTimer is configured with a small value (e.g., 1 slot) for the SR configuration. Fig. 7, Para. [0115]-Yi discloses slots-per-subframe transmission structure); and
the second subframe comprises a subframe that is in a second system frame and that is corresponding to the first subframe (Fig. 7, Para. [0113-0115]-Yi discloses configuration of an NR frame into which OFDM symbols are grouped. An NR frame may be identified by a system frame number (SFN). The SFN may repeat with a period of 1024 frames. As illustrated, one NR frame may be 10 milliseconds (ms) in duration and may include 10 subframes that are 1 ms in duration. A subframe may be divided into slots that include, for example, 14 OFDM symbols per slot ... numerology-dependent slot duration and slots-per-subframe transmission structure ... A subframe in NR may be used as a numerology-independent time reference, while a slot may be used as the unit upon which uplink and downlink transmissions are scheduled), and
the second system frame has an association relationship with a first system frame in which the first subframe is located (Fig. 7, Para. [0113-0115]-Yi discloses configuration of an NR frame into which OFDM symbols are grouped. An NR frame may be identified by a system frame number (SFN). The SFN may repeat with a period of 1024 frames. As illustrated, one NR frame may be 10 milliseconds (ms) in duration and may include 10 subframes that are 1 ms in duration. A subframe may be divided into slots that include, for example, 14 OFDM symbols per slot ... numerology-dependent slot duration and slots-per-subframe transmission structure ... A subframe in NR may be used as a numerology-independent time reference, while a slot may be used as the unit upon which uplink and downlink transmissions are scheduled).
Regarding claims 3, 8 and 13, Yi in view of Jiang teaches the method according to claim 2, the electronic device according to claim 7 and the non-transitory readable storage medium according to claim 12 respectively,
Yi further teaches the second system frame comprises M system frames before and after the first system frame in which sending is performed (Fig. 7, Para. [0113-0115]-Yi discloses configuration of an NR frame into which OFDM symbols are grouped. An NR frame may be identified by a system frame number (SFN). The SFN may repeat with a period of 1024 frames. As illustrated, one NR frame may be 10 milliseconds (ms) in duration and may include 10 subframes that are 1 ms in duration. A subframe may be divided into slots that include, for example, 14 OFDM symbols per slot ... numerology-dependent slot duration and slots-per-subframe transmission structure ... A subframe in NR may be used as a numerology-independent time reference, while a slot may be used as the unit upon which uplink and downlink transmissions are scheduled), and
M is a positive integer less than a second threshold (Fig. 7, Para. [0113-0115]-Yi discloses configuration of an NR frame into which OFDM symbols are grouped. An NR frame may be identified by a system frame number (SFN). The SFN may repeat with a period of 1024 frames. As illustrated, one NR frame may be 10 milliseconds (ms) in duration and may include 10 subframes that are 1 ms in duration. A subframe may be divided into slots that include, for example, 14 OFDM symbols per slot ... numerology-dependent slot duration and slots-per-subframe transmission structure ... A subframe in NR may be used as a numerology-independent time reference, while a slot may be used as the unit upon which uplink and downlink transmissions are scheduled).
Regarding claims 4, 9 and 14, Yi in view of Jiang teaches the method according to claim 1, the electronic device according to claim 6 and the non-transitory readable storage medium according to claim 11 respectively,
Yi further teaches the generating a BSR based on a second buffer size in a case that a first buffer size corresponding to to-be-sent data falls within a first preset range comprises: generating the BSR based on the second buffer size in a case that the first buffer size corresponding to the to-be-sent data falls within the first preset range (Para. [0285]-Yi discloses a wireless device may have new sidelink data available at a MAC layer. The wireless device may trigger a BSR and compute a first buffer size level for the BSR. When a logical channel of the new sidelink data is associated with the SR configuration with the one or more parameters, the wireless device may determine the first buffer size level of the BSR is greater than the nominal buffer size level indicated by the base station. In response to the determining, the wireless device may continue BSR process and may trigger a corresponding SR. Fig. 21, Para. [0247]-Yi discloses the wireless device may provide one or more UE assistance information. For example, the one or more UE assistance indication may comprise a set of traffic pattern assistance information … The traffic pattern assistance information may comprise a nominal buffer size level for the traffic/sidelink session. The base station may utilize the nominal buffer size level, if indicated, in scheduling resources for sidelink transmissions) and
a transmission parameter of the terminal meets a predetermined transmission condition (Para. [0241]-Yi discloses wireless device may trigger a buffer status reporting (BSR) in response to new sidelink data being available to a MAC layer. The wireless device may transmit the BSR via a scheduled PUSCH if available for carrying the BSR. Para. [0237]-Yi discloses wireless device, in response new sidelink data available at MAC layer, may transmit the new sidelink data via the one or more configured grant resources if available. The wireless device may trigger a buffer status reporting (BSR) when the wireless device may not have available configured grant resource(s). The wireless device may determine whether the one or more configured grants are available based on logical channels associated with the one or more configured grants, logical channels of the new sidelink data, a packet size, MCS of the one or more configured grants, latency requirement, periodicity of the one or more configured grants, and/or the like. The wireless device may trigger the BSR to request resource allocations from the base station on the assisted mode or the first mode);
the transmission parameter comprises at least one of the following: signal quality of a transmitted signal or transmit power (Para. [0240]-Yi discloses the wireless device may have uplink resources available and number of padding bits remaining after a padding BSR for uplink is added is equal to or larger than a size of the sidelink BSR MAC CE, the wireless device may trigger the sidelink BSR, which is called as a padding sidelink BSR. Para. [0078]-Yi discloses MAC CEs include: scheduling-related MAC CEs, such as buffer status reports and power headroom reports).
Regarding claims 5, 10 and 15, Yi in view of Jiang teaches the method according to claim 1, the electronic device according to claim 6 and the non-transitory readable storage medium according to claim 11 respectively,
Yi further teaches the generating a BSR based on a second buffer size in a case that a first buffer size corresponding to to-be-sent data falls within a first preset range comprises: in a case that the first buffer size corresponding to the to-be-sent data falls within the first preset range (Para. [0285]-Yi discloses a wireless device may have new sidelink data available at a MAC layer. The wireless device may trigger a BSR and compute a first buffer size level for the BSR. When a logical channel of the new sidelink data is associated with the SR configuration with the one or more parameters, the wireless device may determine the first buffer size level of the BSR is greater than the nominal buffer size level indicated by the base station. In response to the determining, the wireless device may continue BSR process and may trigger a corresponding SR. Fig. 21, Para. [0247]-Yi discloses the wireless device may provide one or more UE assistance information. For example, the one or more UE assistance indication may comprise a set of traffic pattern assistance information … The traffic pattern assistance information may comprise a nominal buffer size level for the traffic/sidelink session. The base station may utilize the nominal buffer size level, if indicated, in scheduling resources for sidelink transmissions),
generating the BSR based on the second buffer size if it is detected that a first timer expires (Para. [0294]-Yi discloses the wireless device may trigger a sidelink BSR based on a short-periodic-sidelink-BSR-Timer (e.g., short-periodic-BSR-TimerSL). The wireless device may start the short-periodic-BSR-TimerSL in response to having the new sidelink data available at the MAC layer or in response to transmitting sidelink transmissions via the valid configured grant resource(s). In an expiry of the short-periodic-BSR-TimerSL, the wireless device may trigger the sidelink BSR if there is no pending sidelink BSR and the wireless device may stop the short-periodic-BSR-TimerSL).
Regarding claims 16-20, Yi in view of Yang teaches the method according to claim 1-5 respectively,
Yi further teaches a chip, wherein the chip comprises a processor and a communication interface, the communication interface is coupled to the processor, and the processor is configured to run a program or instructions (Fig. 15, Para. [0211-0214]-Yi discloses wireless device 1502 and the base station 1504 may include multiple antennas ... The processing system 1508 and the processing system 1518 may be associated with a memory 1514 and a memory 1524, respectively. Memory 1514 and memory 1524 (e.g., one or more non-transitory computer readable mediums) may store computer program instructions or code that may be executed by the processing system 1508 and/or the processing system 1518 to carry out one or more of the functionalities ... The processing system 1508 and/or the processing system 1518 may be connected to a GPS chipset 1517 and a GPS chipset 1527, respectively. The GPS chipset 1517 and the GPS chipset 1527 may be configured to provide geographic location information of the wireless device 1502 and the base station 1504, respectively).
Conclusion
Listed below are the prior arts made of record and not relied upon but are considered pertinent to applicant`s disclosure.
TAKAHASHI et al. (US 20170086168 A1)-discloses a terminal device that transmits a signal to a base station apparatus through uplink, the terminal device including: a transmission unit that transmits to the base station apparatus a first MAC control element which includes a first buffer size field indicating an amount of first data available for transmission within a first buffer for the uplink and a second MAC control element which includes a second buffer size field indicating an amount of second data available for transmission within a second buffer for a first link that is used for communication between the terminal device and a different terminal device, in which, in a case where a first parameter is not configured, a value that is used in the first buffer size field is indicated with a first table, in which, in the case where the first parameter is configured, the value that is used in the first buffer size field is indicated with a second table, and in which a value that is used in the second buffer size field is indicated at all times with the first table …. …Fig. 1-5
Yi et al. (US 20230145519 A1)-discloses wireless device transmits one or more radio resource control (RRC) messages indicating assistance information, where the assistant information indicates: an identifier indicating a logical channel; and one or more periodicities associated with the logical channel. The wireless device receives, in response to the assistance information, one or more second RRC messages indicating one or more configured grant configurations. The wireless device triggers a buffer status report in response to data of the logical channel becoming available. In response to receiving one or more activation commands indicating activation of the one or more configured grant configurations, the wireless device cancels the buffer status report …. …Fig. 1-5
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/OLADIRAN GIDEON OLALEYE/Examiner, Art Unit 2472
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