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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 6/2/2026 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim(s) 1-5, 11-15 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen et al. (hereinafter Chen)(US 2026/0006626) in view of Hosseini et al. (hereinafter Hosseini)(US 2023/0084636).
Regarding claim 1, Chen teaches a first wireless device comprising: one or more processors; and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the first wireless device (fig. 8, 12-13; first wireless device could be 115-a in Fig. 9)to:
receive, from a second wireless device(P[0138], UE 115-a receive signaling from another UE 115-c or a base station (P[0138], network entity 105) a configuration indicating a sidelink (SL) resource pool, wherein the SL resource pool comprises a slot in which one or more SL reference signals (RSs) are transmitted(P[0138], indicating asset of SL reference signal transmission occasions) and
transmit, to a third wireless device and via the slot, sidelink (SL) SL control information indicating a first priority of an SL transmission of the slot(P[0005], control information that schedules sidelink data and also sidelink reference signal transmission; control signaling indicating a first priority of an SL transmission of the slot comprising SL data and at least one SL reference signal (RS); P[0139], item 910 in Fig. 9, UE 115-a and UE 115-b may participate in communication (e.g. transmit or receive) SCI(sidelink control information) that schedules sidelink data transmission from the UE 115-1 to UE 115-b; resources partially overlap in time with include sidelink reference signal transmission occasions; SCI message includes information indicative of a priority value for a scheduled sidelink data message)wherein:
the SL transmission comprises:
SL data in one or more first symbols of the slot and at least one SL RS in one or more second symbols, of the slot: (P[0005], control signal schedules sidelink data and sidelink reference signal; P[0103], UE 115-a may prioritize S-SSB reception if an S-SSB 405 has not been received in any prior candidate S-SSB occasions within a threshold time period (e.g., within an S-SSB period) of the candidate S-SSB occasion 225 and may prioritize PSSCH reception otherwise): and the first priority is based on a second priority of the at least one SL RS; and a third priority of the SL data(P[0052], prioritize one of a sidelink reference signal or sidelink data signal; select the highest priority value or lowest priority value for sidelink reference signal based on comparison; ).
Also further teachings in P[0005-0008, 0012, 0014, 0020, 0029, 0030-0032, 0036-0037, 0052, 0163, 0175, 0184, 0200, 0211-0248)/
Chen did not teach specifically SL data in one or more first symbols of the slot and at least one SL RS in one or more second symbols, of the slot, that are after the one or more first symbols. However, Hosseini teaches in an analogous art SL data in one or more first symbols of the slot and at least one SL RS in one or more second symbols, of the slot, that are after the one or more first symbols(Fig. 5; also P[0085]). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary sill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have SL data in one or more first symbols of the slot and at least one SL RS in one or more second symbols, of the slot, that are after the one or more first symbols in order to have improved signal demodulation.
Regarding claim 2, Chen teaches the first wireless device, wherein the slot of the SL resource pool is used for transmission of the at least one SL RS(P[0153], configured; signaling indicating sidelink reference signal occasions being included within a sidelink resource pool).
Regarding claim 3, Chen teaches the first wireless device of claim 1, wherein transmitting the SL control information is via an SL resource of the SL resource pool(P[0153], control signaling indicating signal transmission occasions being included within a sidelink resource pool).
Regarding claim 4, Chen teaches the first wireless device of claim 1, wherein the configuration is transmitted via at least one of: a radio resource configuration message; or a system information message(P[0100], configured by control signaling, RRC signaling).
Regarding claim 5, Chen teaches the first wireless device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the first wireless device to determine the first priority based on a highest priority of: the second priority; and the third priority(P[0006], comparison of a first priority value and a second priority value).
Claims 11-15 and 20 are rejected for the same reason as set forth in claims 1-5 and 1 respectively.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim(s) 6-9, 16-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen et al. (hereinafter Chen)(US 2026/0006626) in view of Hosseini et al. (hereinafter Hosseini)(US 2023/0084636) and Luo et a. (hereinafter Luo)(CN 117997496 A).
Regarding claim 6, Chen in view of Hosseini teaches all the particulars of the claim except, wherein: the SL data comprises a medium access control (MAC) packet data unit (PDU). However, Luo teaches in an analogous art wherein: the SL data comprises a medium access control (MAC) packet data unit (PDU) (P[0100], MAC -CE). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have the SL data comprises a medium access control (MAC) packet data unit (PDU) in order to have improved efficiency.
Regarding claim 7, Chen in view of Hosseini teaches all the particulars of the claim except, wherein the first priority is a highest priority of: the at least one SL reference signal; and a logical channel associated with the MAC PDU. However, Luo teaches in an analogous art wherein the first priority is a highest priority of: the at least one SL reference signal; and a logical channel associated with the MAC PDU(Page 9, MAC-PDU; highest priority in all logical channels; SL-PRS). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have the first priority is a highest priority of: the at least one SL reference signal; and a logical channel associated with the MAC PDU in order to have improved sidelink priority handling.
Regarding claim 8, Chen in view of Hosseini teaches all the particulars of the claim except, the first priority is a highest priority of: the at least one SL reference signal; and a MAC control element (CE) in the MAC PDU. However, Luo teaches in an analogous art wherein the first priority is a highest priority of: the at least one SL reference signal; and a MAC control element (CE) in the MAC PDU(Page 13, highest priority and one MAC CE in the MAC PDU; also SL-PRS). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have the first priority is a highest priority of: the at least one SL reference signal; and a MAC control element (CE) in the MAC PDU in order to have improved sidelink priority handling.
Regarding claim 9, Chen in view of Hosseini teaches all the particulars of the claim except, wherein the priority is a highest priority of: the at least one SL reference signal; a logical channel associated with the MAC PDU; and a MAC control element (CE) in the MAC PDU. However, Luo teaches in an analogous art wherein the priority is a highest priority of: the at least one SL reference signal; a logical channel associated with the MAC PDU; and a MAC control element (CE) in the MAC PDU(Page 13, highest priority in all logical channels and one MAC CE in the MAC PDU; also SL-PRS). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have the priority is a highest priority of: the at least one SL reference signal; a logical channel associated with the MAC PDU; and a MAC control element (CE) in the MAC PDU in order to have improved sidelink priority handling.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen et al. (hereinafter Chen)(US 2026/0006626) in view of Hosseini et al. (hereinafter Hosseini)(US 2023/0084636) and Luo et a. (hereinafter Luo)(CN 117997496 A) and Han et al. (hereinafter Han)(US 2025/0274952).
Regarding claim 10, Chen in view of Hosseini and Luo teaches all the particulars of the claim except, wherein the MAC PDU comprises a MAC service data unit (SDU) from the logical channel associated with a respective priority or a respective priority value. However, Han teaches in an analogous art wherein the MAC PDU comprises a MAC service data unit (SDU) from the logical channel associated with a respective priority or a respective priority value(P[0107], Sidelink traffic channel service data units; priority; SL-MAC-PDU for SL transmission). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have the MAC PDU comprises a MAC service data unit (SDU) from the logical channel associated with a respective priority or a respective priority value in order to have improved sidelink priority handling.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
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/MUTHUSWAMY G MANOHARAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2647
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