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`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
`
`17/571,375
`
`01/07/2022
`
`Ankit BHAMRI
`
`736456.531C1
`
`917
`
`Seed IP Law Group LLP/Panasonic (PIPCA)
`701 5th Avenue, Suite 5400
`Seattle, WA 98104
`
`NGUYEN,BRIAN D
`
`ART UNIT
`
`2472
`
`PAPER NUMBER
`
`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`02/08/2024
`
`ELECTRONIC
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`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*
`1-14 is/are pending in the application.
`)
`Claim(s)
`5a) Of the above claim(s) _ is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`CL] Claim(s)__is/are allowed.
`Claim(s) 1-14 is/are rejected.
`(] Claim(s)__ is/are objectedto.
`C] Claim(s
`are subjectto restriction and/or election requirement
`)
`* 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) The drawing(s)filed on 1/7/22 is/are: a)¥) accepted or b)L) 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)(¥) Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d)or (f).
`Certified copies:
`_—_c)L) None ofthe:
`b)L) Some**
`a)Y) All
`1.) Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.1.) Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No. |
`3.2.) 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)
`
`Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`2)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`
`3)
`
`4)
`
`(LJ Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`(Qj Other:
`
`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
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`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20240202
`
`Application No.
`Applicant(s)
`17/571,375
`BHAMRI etal.
`
`Office Action Summary Art Unit|AIA (FITF)StatusExaminer
`BRIAN D NGUYEN
`2472
`Yes
`
`
`
`-- The MAILING DATEof this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORYPERIOD FOR REPLYIS SET TO EXPIRE 3 MONTHS FROM THE MAILING
`DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensionsof 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
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`1) Responsive to communication(s)filed on 1/7/22.
`C} A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/werefiled on
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`2a)() This action is FINAL. 2b)¥)This action is non-final.
`3) 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)(2) 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: 17/571,375
`Art Unit: 2472
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`Page 2
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
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`1.
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`The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined underthe
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`first inventorto file provisions of the AJA.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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`2.
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`The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the
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`basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
`
`A personshall be entitled to a patent unless —
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`(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for
`patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the
`case may be, names another inventor and waseffectively filed before the effective filing date of the
`claimed invention.
`
`3.
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`Claims 1-2 and 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Liet
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`al (2022/0078823) in view of Salem et al (2019/0075581).
`
`Regarding claims | and 14, Li discloses a method and a user equipment (UE),
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`comprising: a transceiver which, in operation, receives an indication indicating a priority level to
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`be enforced (see the first bit field is used to indicate a value ofa priority of the uplink
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`transmission in paragraph 00013); and circuitry which, in operation, comparesa priority level of
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`a first uplink transmission with the indicated priority level to be enforced (see the UE compares a
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`value of the priority of the uplink transmission with the valueofthe first priority in paragraph
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`0409), the first uplink transmission being granted to the UE prior to scheduling of a second
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`uplink transmission allocated to resources overlapping with resourcesallocatedto the first uplink
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`transmission (see The configured uplink transmission includesat least one of a configured grant
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`uplink data channel in paragraph 0045 andthefirst time-frequency resource overlaps the second
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/571,375
`Art Unit: 2472
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`Page 3
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`time-frequency resource in paragraphOO57), wherein the transceiver, in operation, performs the
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`first uplink transmission based on a result of the comparison (see Whenthe uplink transmission
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`meets a first condition, the UE transmits uplink information to the base station on the second
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`time-frequency resource in paragraph 0160).
`
`Regarding claim 2, Li discloses wherein the transceiver, in operation, receives group-
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`common Downlink Control Information commonto a plurality of UEs including the indication
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`indicating the priority level to be enforced (see group-common downlink control information,
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`GC-DCIin paragraphs 0127, 0294, 0401-0402).
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`Regarding claim 13, claim 13 claimeda basestation that is in communication with a user
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`equipmentclaimed inn claim 1. Claim 13 is, therefore, subject to the samerejection.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
`
`4,
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`The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which formsthebasis for all obviousness
`
`rejections set forth in this Office action:
`
`A patent for a claimed invention maynotbe 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 obviousbefore the effective
`filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinaryskill in the art to which the claimed
`invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the mannerin which the invention was made.
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`5.
`
`Claims 3-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li in view of
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`Salem et al (2019//0075581).
`
`Regarding claim 3, Li discloses comparing the two different priorities but doesn't
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`specifically disclose an index of the priority level of the uplink transmission. However, the use of
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`priority index is well knownin the art. Salem discloses this feature (see a priority class index in
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`paragraph 0166). The claim would have been obvious because a person of ordinary skill has
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`good reason to pursue the knownoptions within his or her technical grasp. If this leads to the
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/571,375
`Art Unit: 2472
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`Page 4
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`anticipated success, it is likely the product not of innovation but of ordinary skill and common
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`sense.
`
`Regarding claim 4, Salem discloses a mapping ofa plurality of indexesto a plurality of
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`transmission types including the transmission type of the first uplink transmission being specific
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`to the UEorto a subset of UEsreceiving the indication, the subset including the UE (see mapped
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`to priority class indices in paragraph 0213).
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`Regarding claim 5, Salem discloses a mapping ofa plurality of indexesto a plurality of
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`priority levels including the priority level of the first uplink transmission anda priority level of
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`the second uplink transmission being commonto UEsreceiving the indication (see mapped to
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`priority class indices inn paragraphs 0213, a grant-free group (GFG) common downlink control
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`information (DCI) message in paragraphs 0019, and the group of EDs in paragraph0021).
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`Regarding claim 6, Salem discloses wherein, in the mapping ofthe plurality of indexes to
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`the plurality of priority levels, each index is mappedto a priority level in a one-to-one
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`correspondence (see channelaccess priority classes that are mappedto priority class indices in
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`paragraph 0213).
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`6.
`
`Claims 7-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li in view of
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`Salem as applied to claim 5 above, and further in view of Huanget al (2020/0008177).
`
`Regarding claim 7, Li in view of Salem doesn't specifically disclose each index is
`
`mappedto a range ofpriority levels. However, Huang disclosesthis feature (see the UE
`
`determines one or more priority levels associated with the one or more transmission resources. In
`
`some examples, the UE determines(e.g., at the MAClayer) the priority level associated with
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`each of the LCHs in paragraphs 0044. See also figure where LCH 0 and LCH1 are associated
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`with index O for low latency. Note that each of the LCHsis associated with a priority). The claim
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/571,375
`Art Unit: 2472
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`Page 5
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`would have been obvious because a person of ordinary skill has good reason to pursue the known
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`options within his or her technical grasp. If this leads to the anticipated success, it is likely the
`
`product not of innovation but of ordinary skill and commonsense.
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`Regarding claim 8, Huang discloses wherein the mappingofthe plurality of indexesis
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`configured via Radio Resource Control signaling (see the UE mayreceive RRC signaling
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`indicating the priority levels associated with the LCHsin paragraph 0044).
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`Regarding claim 9, Huang discloses wherein the mappingofthe plurality of indexes to
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`the plurality of priority levels is based on a total numberofpriority levels defined by standard
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`(see Figure 2 where LCH 0/priority level 0 and LCH 1/priority level 1 correspond to index 0
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`(low latency) and LCH 2 and LCH 3 correspondto index | (high latency)).
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`Regarding claim 10, Huang discloses wherein the priority level is defined by a
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`transmission type (see figure 2 where different transmission types such as low/high latencies
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`index 0/1).
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`Regarding claim 11, Huang discloses wherein the transmission type includesat least one
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`of a channel type, type of information to be transmitted, or service requirement (see low and high
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`latency types in figure 2).
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`Regarding claim 12, Huang discloses wherein the circuitry comprises physical layer
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`circuitry which in operation, receives from a Medium Access Control layer, information
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`indicative of the priority level of the first uplink transmission (see the UE determines(e.g., at the
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`MAClayer) the priority level associated with each of the LCHs in paragraph 0044).
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`Conclusion
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/571,375
`Art Unit: 2472
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`Page 6
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`7.
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
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`examiner should be directed to BRIAN D NGUYENwhosetelephone numberis (571)272-3084.
`
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`
`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s
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`supervisor, Hassan Kizou can be reached on 571-272-3088. The fax phone numberfor the
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`organization wherethis application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
`
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`
`/BRIAN D NGUYEN/
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2472
`
`