Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 19/210,154

SIDELINK DISCONTINUOUS RECEPTION TIMER OPERATIONS

Non-Final OA §DP
Filed
May 16, 2025
Priority
Mar 08, 2021 — provisional 63/158,251 +1 more
Examiner
KAYAL, DAVID M
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Qualcomm Incorporated
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
84%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 11m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 84% — above average
84%
Career Allowance Rate
41 granted / 49 resolved
+23.7% vs TC avg
Strong +31% interview lift
Without
With
+30.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 1m
Avg Prosecution
20 currently pending
Career history
81
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.5%
-39.5% vs TC avg
§103
91.5%
+51.5% vs TC avg
§102
5.8%
-34.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 49 resolved cases

Office Action

§DP
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 . Double Patenting The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969). A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b). The filing of a terminal disclaimer by itself is not a complete reply to a nonstatutory double patenting (NSDP) rejection. A complete reply requires that the terminal disclaimer be accompanied by a reply requesting reconsideration of the prior Office action. Even where the NSDP rejection is provisional the reply must be complete. See MPEP § 804, subsection I.B.1. For a reply to a non-final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.111(a). For a reply to final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.113(c). A request for reconsideration while not provided for in 37 CFR 1.113(c) may be filed after final for consideration. See MPEP §§ 706.07(e) and 714.13. The USPTO Internet website contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit www.uspto.gov/patent/patents-forms. The actual filing date of the application in which the form is filed determines what form (e.g., PTO/SB/25, PTO/SB/26, PTO/AIA /25, or PTO/AIA /26) should be used. A web-based eTerminal Disclaimer may be filled out completely online using web-screens. An eTerminal Disclaimer that meets all requirements is auto-processed and approved immediately upon submission. For more information about eTerminal Disclaimers, refer to www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/applying-online/eterminal-disclaimer. Claims 2-21 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-30 of U.S. Patent No. 12,342,409 B2. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because the claims are directed to sidelink discontinuous reception (DRX) operation for sidelink transmissions, including operation of a sidelink DRX timer per source identifier or destination identifier pair. The reference claims further expressly identify the sidelink DRX timer as including a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) retransmission timer activated based on expiry of a HARQ round trip time (RTT) timer. Instant Application: 19/210,154 Reference Patent: US 12,342,409 B2 Claims 2: A method of wireless communication performed by a transmitting (Tx) user equipment (UE), comprising: performing, to a receiving (Rx) UE, a first sidelink transmission in an on duration of a sidelink discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle; and activating, based at least in part on an expiry of a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) round trip time (RTT) timer, a HARQ retransmission timer corresponding to the first sidelink transmission, wherein the HARQ retransmission timer is configured with a value for a destination identifier (ID), wherein one or more source IDs are associated with the destination ID, and wherein the HARQ retransmission timer is operated per a pair of source ID and destination ID. Claim 1: A method of wireless communication performed by a transmitting (Tx) user equipment (UE), comprising: performing, to a receiving (Rx) UE, a first sidelink transmission in an on duration of a sidelink discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle; and activating a sidelink DRX timer corresponding to the sidelink DRX cycle, wherein the sidelink DRX timer is set with a value for a destination identifier (ID), wherein one or more source IDs are associated with the destination ID, wherein the sidelink DRX timer is operated per a pair of source ID and destination ID, and wherein activating the sidelink DRX timer comprises activating a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) retransmission timer based at least in part on an expiry of a HARQ round trip time (RTT) timer. Claim 3: activating an on duration timer in response to entering the on duration. Claim 4: activating an on duration timer based at least in part on entering the on duration. Claim 4, 10, 12, and 20: activating a HARQ RTT timer in response to feedback from the Rx UE, wherein the HARQ RTT timer is configured based on a common value used for a set of UEs including the Rx UE. Claims 6 and 7: receiving, from the Rx UE, a negative acknowledgement (NACK) based at least in part on the first sidelink transmission; and wherein activating the sidelink DRX timer further comprises activating the HARQ RTT timer based at least in part on the NACK; wherein a value associated with the HARQ RTT timer is based at least in part on a common value for a plurality of UEs. Claim 5, 11, and 18: determining, while the HARQ retransmission timer is running, a reselected resource for a second sidelink transmission reserved by sidelink control information (SCI) transmitted with the first sidelink transmission. Claim 9: determining, while the HARQ retransmission timer is running, a reselected resource for a second sidelink transmission reserved by sidelink control information (SCI) transmitted with the first sidelink transmission, wherein the reselected resource is before or after in time an originally reserved resource associated with the SCI. Claim 6: performing, to the Rx UE, the second sidelink transmission, wherein the HARQ retransmission timer is deactivated after the second sidelink transmission is performed. Claim 10: performing, to the Rx UE, the second sidelink transmission, wherein the HARQ retransmission timer is deactivated after the second sidelink transmission is performed. Claim 7: wherein the Rx UE is one of multiple Rx UEs for a groupcast, and wherein the destination ID is associated with the groupcast. Claim 11: wherein the Rx UE is one of multiple Rx UEs associated with a group for groupcast, and wherein the destination ID is associated with the group. Claim 8: receive, from a transmitting (Tx) UE, a first sidelink transmission in an on duration of a sidelink discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle; and activate a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) retransmission timer corresponding to the first sidelink transmission in response to an expiry of a HARQ round trip time (RTT) timer, wherein the HARQ retransmission timer is configured with a value for a destination identifier (ID), wherein one or more source identifiers (IDs) are associated with the destination ID, and wherein the HARQ retransmission timer is operated per source ID and destination ID pair. Claim 14: receiving, from a transmitting (Tx) UE, a first sidelink transmission in an on duration of a sidelink discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle; and activating a sidelink DRX timer corresponding to the sidelink DRX cycle, wherein the sidelink DRX timer is set with a value for a destination identifier (ID), wherein one or more source IDs are associated with the destination ID, wherein the sidelink DRX timer is operated per a pair of source ID and destination ID, and wherein activating the sidelink DRX timer comprises activating a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) retransmission timer based at least in part on an expiry of a HARQ round trip time (RTT) timer. Claim 9: wherein the destination ID is a layer 2 destination ID for a groupcast. Claim 15: wherein the destination ID is a layer 2 destination ID for a groupcast. Claims 13 and 21: activate an inactivity timer after receiving the first sidelink transmission, wherein the first sidelink transmission includes sidelink control information (SCI) that indicates a new transmission. Claim 18: activating an inactivity timer based at least in part on a sidelink control information (SCI) of the first sidelink transmission. Claims 14 and 15: performing, to a second UE, a first sidelink transmission in an on duration of a sidelink discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle associated with a sidelink DRX configuration, wherein the sidelink DRX configuration is associated with a quality of service (QoS) profile and a destination identifier (ID); and activating a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) retransmission timer corresponding to the first sidelink transmission, wherein the HARQ retransmission timer is operated per the destination ID and per each source ID associated with the destination ID, and wherein the HARQ retransmission timer is configured in accordance with the QoS profile. Claim 24: performing, to a second UE, a sidelink transmission in an on duration of a sidelink discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle associated with a sidelink DRX configuration, wherein the sidelink DRX configuration is associated with a quality of service (QoS) profile; and activating a sidelink DRX timer corresponding to the sidelink DRX cycle, wherein the sidelink DRX timer is operated per destination identifier (ID) and per each source ID associated with the destination ID, [[and]] wherein the sidelink DRX timer is set with a value in accordance with the QoS profile, and wherein activating the sidelink DRX timer comprises activating a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) retransmission timer. Claim 16: wherein the destination ID is associated with a group for groupcast or a service for broadcast. Claim 25: the destination ID is associated with a group for groupcast or a service for broadcast, and wherein the source ID is associated with a transmitting UE. Claim 17: wherein the sidelink DRX configuration is associated with a layer 2 destination ID for a groupcast. Claim 2: wherein the destination ID is a layer 2 destination ID for a groupcast. Claim 19: wherein multiple user equipments (UEs) perform transmit and receive operations during the on duration, and wherein the first UE receives feedback from a plurality of receiving UEs in response to the first sidelink transmission. Claim 6: receiving, from the Rx UE, a negative acknowledgement (NACK) based at least in part on the first sidelink transmission Claim 11: wherein the Rx UE is one of multiple Rx UEs associated with a group for groupcast, and wherein the destination ID is associated with the group. Claim 28: perform, to a receiving (Rx) UE, a first sidelink transmission in an on duration of a sidelink discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Freda et al. (US 2023/0063472 A1) discloses “Methods for Performing Discontinuous Reception on Sidelink” Ko et al. (US 2023/0345575 A1) discloses “Method and Device for Performing Communication in NR V2X on Basis of SL DRX” Liu et al. (US 2022/0394814 A1) discloses “Discontinuous Transmission or Reception Configuration Method and User Equipment” Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID M KAYAL whose telephone number is (703)756-4576. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5 ET. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ricky Ngo can be reached at 571-272-3139. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /D.M.K./Examiner, Art Unit 2464 /RICKY Q NGO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2464
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

May 16, 2025
Application Filed
Jun 29, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §DP (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12666311
TERMINAL AND COMMUNICATION METHOD
3y 2m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12647222
INTER-BAND CARRIER AGGREGATION WITH INDEPENDENT BEAM MANAGEMENT
3y 2m to grant Granted Jun 02, 2026
Patent 12641465
DOWNLINK SIGNAL PROCESSING METHOD AND APPARATUS
2y 11m to grant Granted May 26, 2026
Patent 12603694
COMPRESSED CHANNEL STATE INFORMATION TRANSFER
4y 0m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12598510
METHOD AND DEVICES FOR LINK ADAPTATION FEEDBACK IN WIRELESS LOCAL AREA NETWORKS
2y 8m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
84%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+30.8%)
3y 1m (~1y 11m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 49 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month