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`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and TrademarkOffice
`Address; COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
`
`16/909,664
`
`06/23/2020
`
`LILEI WANG
`
`731456.468C1
`
`9286
`
`Seed IP Law Group LLP/Panasonic (PIPCA)
`701 5th Avenue, Suite 5400
`Seattle, WA 98104
`
`KAVLESKIRYAN C
`
`ART UNIT
`
`2412
`
`PAPER NUMBER
`
`NOTIFICATION DATE
`
`DELIVERY MODE
`
`04/12/2022
`
`ELECTRONIC
`
`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
`
`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
`
`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e-mail address(es):
`USPTOeAction @ SeedIP.com
`
`pairlinkdktg @seedip.com
`
`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
`
`

`

`
`
`Disposition of Claims*
`1-9 is/are pending in the application.
`)
`Claim(s)
`5a) Of the above claim(s) ___ is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`C} Claim(s)
`is/are allowed.
`Claim(s) 1-9 is/are rejected.
`S)
`) © Claim(s)____is/are objected to.
`Cj) Claim(s
`are subjectto restriction and/or election requirement
`)
`S)
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you maybeeligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`http://www.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/pph/index.jsp or send an inquiry to PPHfeedback@uspto.gov.
`
`) )
`
`Application Papers
`10) The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)0) The drawing(s) filedon__ is/are: a)(J accepted or b)() objected to by the Examiner.
`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121 (d).
`
`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
`12)1) Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d)or (f).
`Certified copies:
`c)Z None ofthe:
`b)() Some**
`a)C All
`1.2 Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.1.) Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`3.1.) Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been receivedin this National Stage
`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`* See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
`
`Attachment(s)
`
`1)
`
`Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`
`2) (J Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`
`3) (J Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`(Qj Other:
`
`4)
`
`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20220404
`
`Application No.
`Applicant(s)
`16/909,664
`WANG etal.
`
`Office Action Summary Art Unit|AIA (FITF) StatusExaminer
`RYAN C KAVLESKI
`2412
`Yes
`
`
`
`-- The MAILING DATEofthis communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLYIS SET TO EXPIRE 3 MONTHS FROM THE MAILING
`DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available underthe provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a). In no event, however, may a reply betimely filed after SIX (6) MONTHSfrom the mailing
`date of this communication.
`If NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHSfrom the mailing date of this communication.
`-
`- Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133}.
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, evenif timely filed, may reduce any earned patent term
`adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(b).
`
`Status
`
`1) Responsive to communication(s) filed on 3/9/2022.
`C} A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/werefiled on
`
`2a)L) This action is FINAL. 2b)¥)This action is non-final.
`3)02 An election was madeby the applicant in responseto a restriction requirement set forth during the interview
`on
`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
`4\0) Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
`closed in accordance with the practice under Exparte Quayle, 1935 C.D. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 16/909,664
`Art Unit: 2412
`
`Page 2
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`In response to communication filed on 3/9/2022.
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Claims 1-9 are pending.
`
`Claims 1-9 are rejected.
`
`Notice of Pre-AlA or AIA Status
`
`The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first
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`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
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`finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's
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`submission filed on 3/9/2022 has been entered.
`
`Response to Amendments
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`This communication is in response to Applicant’s reply filed under 3 CFR 1.111 on 3/9/2022.
`
`Claims 1 and 9 were amendedand claims 1-9 remain pending.
`
`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
`
`The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found ina
`
`prior Office action.
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 16/909,664
`Art Unit: 2412
`
`Page 3
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`Claims 1,5 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pelletier etal.
`
`(US Pub. 2018/0123769)(P1 hereafter) in view of Kim et al. (US Pub. 2018/0359068){K1 hereafter).
`
`Regarding claims 1 and 9, P1 teaches a user equipment(i.e. wireless transmit receive unit WTRU)[refer
`
`Fig. 1B; 102] comprising:
`
`a receiver [refer Fig. 1B; 120], which, in operation, receives a bitmap indicating one or more
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`candidatesof transmission time interval (TTI) (the WTRU receives a DCI that includes scheduling
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`information, such as a list of applicable cells and TTls using a bitmap for group ofcells)[paragraph 0122];
`
`and
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`circuitry, which, in operation, blindly decodes the physical channel in the candidate(i.e. TTI)
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`based on the bitmap (the TTls can help for blind decoding reduction [paragraph 0078], the information
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`is used to influence blind decoding for transmissions [paragraph 0080)).
`
`HoweverP11 fails to disclose among a plurality of TTIls configurable in 14 symbols, each of the
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`one or more candidatesof TTI is less than 14 symbols.
`
`K1 discloses that TTl’s can be 2,3,4 or 7 symbols in a 14 symbol subframe (i.e. configurable
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`in)[paragraph 0184], TTls can be indexed within a bitmap [paragraph 0240].
`
`It would have been obvious to one of ordinaryskill in the art before the effective filing date of
`
`the claimed invention to modify the teachings of P1 to incorporate the use of 2,3,4 or 7 symbol sized
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`TTls configurable within a 14 symbol subframe and identified by a bitmap as taught by K1. One would
`
`be motivated to do so to incorporate the use of prior art elements, such the use of a plurality of TTls
`
`configurable within a 14 symbol subframe [refer K1; paragraph 0184], to be used with a bitmap [refer
`
`P1; paragraph 0122][refer K1; paragraph 0240]according to knownproceduresto yield predictable
`
`results.
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`

`

`Application/Control Number: 16/909,664
`Art Unit: 2412
`
`Page 4
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`Regarding claim 5, P1 teaches the receiver, in operation, receives the bitmap in a radio resource control
`
`(RRC) or a medium access control (MAC) (in relation to the sending of the DCI, higher layers, such as
`
`RRC, are used to configurecells)[paragraph 0068].
`
`Claims 2-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over P1 in view of K1, as
`
`applied to claim 1, in further view of Patneleev et al. (US Pub. 2017/0208616)({P2 hereafter).
`
`Regarding claim 2, P1 fails to disclose a length of the TTI is variable, and a size of the bitmap is constant
`
`for all of different lengths of the TTI.
`
`P2 discloses that a number of TTIs in a cycle can be a multiple of the length, in TTls, of a bitmap
`
`[paragraph 0062], SA control messages that include bitmaps which are used as time resource pattern for
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`transmission (T-RPT) generation parameters [paragraph 0068], the T-RPT is based upon a numberof
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`consecutive TTls in a group, such as a TTI length indicator (i.e. length of the TTI is variable) and based on
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`a numberof TTls [paragraph 0069].
`
`It would have been obvious to one of ordinaryskill in the art before the effective filing date of
`
`the claimed invention to modify the teachings of P1 for providing a bitmap for identifying TTls for blind
`
`decoding reduction to allow for expanded bitmaps that are based upon the numberof TTls as taught by
`
`P2. One would be motivated to do so to provide a better indication of TTls for a UE for transmission
`
`[refer P2; paragraph 0055].
`
`Regarding claim 3, P1 fails to disclose a size of the bitmap is equal to the largest one of numbers of the
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`plurality of TTls configurable in the 14 symbols.
`
`P2 discloses that a number of TTIs in a cycle can be a multiple of the length, in TTls, of a bitmap
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`[paragraph 0062], this bitmap is conveyed via RRC messages transmitted by the eNB to a user
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 16/909,664
`Art Unit: 2412
`
`Page 5
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`equipment (UE) to identify TTls to the UE [paragraph 0075], an expanded bitmap can havebit positions
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`that indicate exclusion of a TTI mapped to a bit position [paragraph 0080].
`
`It would have been obvious to one of ordinaryskill in the art before the effective filing date of
`
`the claimed invention to modify the teachings of P1 for providing a bitmap for identifying TTls for blind
`
`decoding reduction to allow for expanded bitmaps that are based upon the numberof TTls as taught by
`
`P2. One would be motivated to do so to provide a better indication of TTls for a UE for transmission
`
`[refer P2; paragraph 0055].
`
`Regarding claim 4, P1 fails to disclose a size of the bitmap is 14 bits.
`
`P2 discloses that a number of TTIs in a cycle can be a multiple of the length, in TTls, of a bitmap
`
`[paragraph 0062], this bitmap is conveyed via RRC messages transmitted by the eNB to a user
`
`equipment (UE) to identify TTls to the UE [paragraph 0075], an expanded bitmap can havebit positions
`
`that indicate exclusion of a TTI mapped to a bit position [paragraph 0080]. P2 discloses that bitmaps can
`
`comprise of varying number of bits based upon the pattern of TTls and noted examples are notlimited
`
`[paragraph 0058][refer Fig. 7][refer Fig. 10].
`
`It would have been obvious to one of ordinaryskill in the art before the effective filing date of
`
`the claimed invention to modify the teachings of P1 for providing a bitmap for identifying TTls for blind
`
`decoding reduction to allow for expanded bitmaps that are based upon the numberof TTls as taught by
`
`P2.
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`In doing so, a bitmap size can be up to 14 bits by design choice to identify a number of TTls the
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`varying number of TTls. One would be motivated to do so to provide a better indication of TTls for a UE
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`for transmission [refer P2; paragraph 0055].
`
`Claims 6 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over P1 in view of K1,
`
`as applied to claim 1, in further view of Ranta-Ahoetal. (US Pub. 2015/0016431){R1 hereafter).
`
`

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`Application/Control Number: 16/909,664
`Art Unit: 2412
`
`Page 6
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`Regarding claim 6, P11 fails to disclose a length of the TTI is specific to the user equipment.
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`R1 discloses that UEs are notified of which TTI length to use, in which UE’s can have an initial
`
`preference to a specific TTI length [paragraph 0087].
`
`It would have been obvious to one of ordinaryskill in the art before the effective filing date of
`
`the claimed invention to modify the teachings of P1 to allow for varying TTI lengths based upon
`
`capabilities (i.e. UE specific) of the UE as taught by R1. One would be motivated to do so to provide
`
`efficiency and backwards compatibility [refer R1; paragraph 0087].
`
`Regarding claim 7, P1 fails to disclose a length of the TTI depends on coverage of the user equipment.
`
`R1 discloses that two different TTI values can be allocated in a cell so that legacy UEs can see
`
`one TTI while another release UE can see both [paragraph 0086], UEs are notified of which TTI length to
`
`use, in which UE’s can have an initial preference to a specific TTI length [paragraph 0087].
`
`It would have been obvious to one of ordinaryskill in the art before the effective filing date of
`
`the claimed invention to modify the teachings of P1 to allow for varying TTI lengths based upon
`
`capabilities (i.e. UE specific) of the UE as taught by R1. One would be motivated to do so to provide
`
`efficiency and backwards compatibility [refer R1; paragraph 0087].
`
`Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over P1 in view of K1, as applied
`
`to claim 1, in further view of Lee et al. (US Pub. 2018/0376495)(L1 hereafter).
`
`Regarding claim 8, P11 fails to disclose the one or more candidates of the TTI is based on a configuration
`
`of reference signal.
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 16/909,664
`Art Unit: 2412
`
`Page 7
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`Li discloses that a terminal can be configured to support a length of a transmission time interval
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`by receiving configuration information associated with an uplink reference signal for a plurality of TTis
`
`from a base station [refer Abstract],
`
`it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of
`
`the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Pl to incorporate configuration information associated
`
`with a reference signal for a plurality of TTls as taught by Ld. One would be motivated to do sa to
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`provide support for multiple TT ieneths in a wireless communication system [refer LL; paragraph OOGSE
`
`Response to Arguments
`
`Applicant’s arguments, see pages 4-5,filed 3/9/2022, with respect to the rejection of claims 1
`
`and 9 under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive in view of the amendments to
`
`the claims. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new
`
`grounds of rejection is made in view of Kim et al. (US Pub. 2018/0359068)(K1 hereafter).
`
`Regarding claims 1,5, and 9, applicant argues that the applied reference does not teach newly
`
`addedclaim limitation, namely, “the plurality of TTls is configurable in 14 symbols, and each of the one
`
`or more candidatesof TTI is less than 14 symbols”.
`
`In response to the above-mentioned argument, examiner respectively directs the
`
`applicant to the new grounds ofrejection in view of Kim et al. (US Pub. 2018/0359068)(K1 hereafter)(K1
`
`hereafter). As was noted in the responseto the After Final Consideration Pilot request filed on
`
`3/22/2022, the claim limitations can be viewed as, given the broadest reasonable interpretation as
`
`required by MPEP 2111, as only requiring that TTls can less than 14 symbols and be configured or be
`
`within a subframe of 14 symbols. Based upon this interpretation, examiner notes that the teachings of
`
`K1 can read upon this limitation since K1 discloses that TTI’s can be 2,3,4 or 7 symbols in a 14 symbol
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 16/909,664
`Art Unit: 2412
`
`Page 8
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`subframe (i.e. configurable in 14 symbols)[paragraph 0184], K1 further noting that TTls can be indexed
`
`within a bitmap [paragraph 0240].
`
`Accordingly, based upon this disclosure, examiner reasons that it would have been obvious to
`
`one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the
`
`teachings of P1 to incorporate the use of 2,3,4 or 7 symbol sized TTls configurable within a 14 symbol
`
`subframe and identified by a bitmap as taught by K1. One would be motivated to do so to incorporate
`
`the use of prior art elements, such the use of a plurality of TTls configurable within a 14 symbol
`
`subframe [refer K1; paragraph 0184], to be used with a bitmap [refer P1; paragraph 0122][refer K1;
`
`paragraph 0240]according to known proceduresto yield predictable results.
`
`Conclusion
`
`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner
`
`should be directed to RYAN C KAVLESKI whose telephone numberis (571)270-3619. The examiner can
`
`normally be reached on M-F 6:30am-3pm.
`
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`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor,
`
`Charles C Jiang can be reached on 571-270-7191. The fax phone number for the organization wherethis
`
`application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
`
`Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application
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`through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 16/909,664
`Art Unit: 2412
`
`Page 9
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`
`Ryan Kavleski
`/R.C.K/
`Examiner, Art Unit 2412
`
`/WALLI Z BUTT/
`Examiner, Art Unit 2412
`
`