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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
`
`18/513,700
`
`11/20/2023
`
`Martin Warwick BEALE
`
`13193US03CON
`
`8298
`
`Xsensts
`
`/Sony —
`
`Xsensus / Sony
`100 Daingerfield Road, Suite 402
`Alexandria, VA 22314
`
`CHERY, DADY
`
`PAPER NUMBER
`
`ART UNIT
`
`2461
`
`NOTIFICATION DATE
`
`DELIVERY MODE
`
`01/17/2025
`
`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):
`Xdocket @ XSensus.com
`
`Xsensuspat@ XSensus.com
`anaquadocketing @ Xsensus.com
`
`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
`
`

`

`Office Action Summary
`
`Application No.
`18/513,700
`Examiner
`DADY CHERY
`
`Applicant(s)
`BEALE etal.
`Art Unit
`2461
`
`AIA (FITF) Status
`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
`
`
`
`1) Responsive to communication(s) filed on 12 November 2024.
`C) A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/werefiled on
`2a)[¥) This action is FINAL.
`2b) (J 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.
`
`Disposition of Claims*
`1-20 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) 1-20 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)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)7) 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
`1.1.) Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.2) 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)
`
`4)
`
`(LJ Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`(Qj Other:
`
`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20250110
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 18/513,700
`Art Unit: 2461
`
`Page 2
`
`DETAILED ACTION
`
`Notice of Pre-AlA or AIA Status
`
`1.
`
`The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013,
`
`is being examined
`
`underthefirst inventor to file provisions of the AIA.
`
`This is in response to an amendment/response filed on November 12, 2024.
`
`Response to Amendment
`
`No Claims have been amended.
`
`No Claims have been cancelled.
`
`No Claims have been added.
`
`Claims 1-20 are currently pending.
`
`Response to Arguments
`
`Applicant's arguments filed on November 12, 2024 have beenfully considered
`
`but they are not persuasive.
`
`The Applicant argues on pages 7-8 of the applicant's remarks/arguments that
`
`Sun fails to teach a transport channel processing chain mapped PRB.
`
`The examiner respectfully disagrees. As shown on figs. 2A ,2B and described on
`
`[0037]- [0042], and [0068]. Sun discloses transport channel processing chain block
`
`(221, 222, 223 and 224) where transport channel processing chain block mapped to
`
`physical resource blocks(e.g., the PRBs 311, 321, 313 and 314). In one embodiment, a
`
`transport block element (TBE) can be a control channel element (CCE) in LTE system,
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 18/513,700
`Art Unit: 2461
`
`Page 3
`
`each of which contains a set of distributed REs in a control region (up to first three
`
`OFDM symbols) forming a composite time slot as claimed by the instant application.
`
`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
`
`1.
`
`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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AlA) for the rejection will
`
`not be considered a new groundofrejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale
`
`supporting the rejection, would be the same undereither status.
`
`2.
`
`The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that
`
`form the basis for the rejections under this section madein this Office action:
`
`A person shall be entitled to a patent unless —
`
`(a)(1) the claimed invention waspatented, described in a printed publication, orin public use,
`on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed
`invention.
`
`3.
`
`Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Sun
`
`et al. (US Application 2015/0341956, Sun).
`
`Regarding claims 1, 18, Sun discloses an apparatus and method (Figs. 1A-7C)
`
`including a processor and a memory, the processor (122,132) and the memory
`
`(124,134) being configured to:
`
`perform a transport channel processing chain keeping,
`
`in each subframe of a composite
`
`transmission time interval, only a set of subcarriers from at least one mapped physical
`
`resource block ([0037]- [0042], [0068], which recites a transport channel
`
`processing chain mapped PRE as disclosed by the instant application).
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 18/513,700
`Art Unit: 2461
`
`Page 4
`
`Regarding claim 16, Sun discloses an apparatus (Figs. 1A-7C) including a
`
`processor (122,132) and a memory (124,134), the processor and the memory being
`
`configured to: receive sets of a predefined number of subcarriers in each subframe,
`
`wherein the remaining subcarriers are not kept ([0028], [0037]- [0042], [0068], which
`
`recites 4 predefined number of subcarriers in each sublrame as disclased by the
`
`instant application).
`
`Regarding claim 2, Sun discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sets of
`
`subcarriers that are kept are different between subframes of a composite transmission
`
`time interval ([0028], [0037]- [0042], [0068]).
`
`Regarding claim 3, Sun discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the
`
`transport channel processing chain is based on a composite transmission time interval
`
`that comprises two or more subframes ([0028], [0037]- [0042], [0068)).
`
`Regarding claim 4, Sun discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the
`
`transport channel processing comprises mapping,
`
`in each subframe of a composite
`
`transmission time interval, a transport block to an integer number of physical resource
`
`blocks in a single subframe ([0028], [0037]- [0042], [0068}).
`
`Regarding claim 5, Sun discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the
`
`transport channel processing comprises rearranging,
`
`in a frequency domain, the
`
`subcarriers that remain from each different subframe to occupy the same frequency
`
`resources ([0028], [0037]- [0042], [0068)).
`
`Regarding claim 6, Sun discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the
`
`processor and the memoryare further configured to transmit a 3 subcarrier sub-PRB
`
`transmission or a6 subcarrier sub-PRB transmission ([0028], [0037]- [0042], [0068]).
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 18/513,700
`Art Unit: 2461
`
`Page 5
`
`Regarding claim 7, Sun discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the
`
`composite transmission time interval comprises a fixed predefined number of subframes
`
`and the base numberof physical resource blocks is changed depending on the number
`
`of sub-carriers to be used in a sub-PRB transmission ([0028], [0037]- [0042], [0068)).
`
`Regarding claim 8, Sun discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the base
`
`number of physical resource blocksis fixed to a predefined number and the composite
`
`transmission time interval is adapted to the numberof sub-carriers used in the sub-PRB
`
`transmission ([0028], [0037]- [0042], [0068)).
`
`Regarding claim 9, Sun discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the
`
`processor and the memoryare further configured to receive downlink control channel
`
`information signaling indicating parameters of the sub-PRB allocation ([0028], [0037]-
`
`[0042], [0068)).
`
`Regarding claim 10, Sun discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the
`
`transport channel processing chain comprises repeating resource elementsin other
`
`subcarriers of a sub-PRB waveform in the same subframe ([0028], [0037]- [0042],
`
`[0068]).
`
`Regarding claim 11, Sun discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the
`
`processor and the memoryare further configured to map a transport block to a single
`
`subcarrier per subframe, and wherein the transport channel processing chain comprises
`
`repeating the resource elements of each subframe of the single carrier in other
`
`subcarriers in the same OFDM symbol of each subframe ([0028], [0037]- [0042],
`
`[0068]).
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 18/513,700
`Art Unit: 2461
`
`Page 6
`
`Regarding claim 12, Sun discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the
`
`processor and the memoryare further configured to transmit the individual subcarriers
`
`with different powers ([0028], [0037]- [0042], [0068], [0070)).
`
`Regarding claim 13, Sun discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the
`
`transport channel processing chain comprises multiplexing of reference signals into a
`
`single subcarrier ([0028], [0037]- [0042], [0068], [0070}).
`
`Regarding claim 14, Sun discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the
`
`processor and the memoryare further configured to receive downlink control messaging
`
`signaling indicating that the circuitry shall perform low Peak-to-Average Power Ratio
`
`uplink transmission ([0028], [0037]- [0042], [0068], [0070)).
`
`Regarding claim 15, Sun discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the
`
`transport channel processing chain is a Physical Uplink Shared Channel resources
`
`transport channel processing chain ([0028], [0037]- [0042], [0068], [0070]).
`
`Regarding claim 17, Sun discloses the apparatus of claim 16, wherein the
`
`processor and the memoryare further configured to receive an indication of a UE's
`
`uplink transmission preferences to the network via higher layer signaling ([0028],
`
`[0037]- [0042], [0068], [0070]).
`
`Regarding claim 19, Sun discloses the method of claim 18, wherein the
`
`transport channel processing includes rearranging,
`
`in a frequency domain, the
`
`subcarriers that remain from each different subframe to occupy the same frequency
`
`resources ([0028], [0037]- [0042], [0068], [0070)).
`
`Regarding claim 20, Sun discloses the method of claim 18, wherein the
`
`transport channel processing chain further comprises repeating resource elements in
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 18/513,700
`Art Unit: 2461
`
`Page 7
`
`other subcarriers of a sub-PRB waveform in the same OFDM symbol of each subframe
`
`([0028], [0037]- [0042], [0068], [0070)).
`
`Conclusion
`
`1.
`
`THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time
`
`policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
`
`A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE
`
`MONTHS from the mailing date of this action.
`
`In the event a first reply is filed within
`
`TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not
`
`mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTHshortened statutory period, then the
`
`shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any
`
`extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of
`
`the advisory action.
`
`Inno event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later
`
`than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
`
`2.
`
`Anyinquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
`
`examiner should be directed to DADY CHERYwhosetelephone numberis (571)270-
`
`1207. The examiner can normally be reached on M to T, 8 am to 5pm.
`
`Examinerinterviews 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:/Avwww.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 18/513,700
`Art Unit: 2461
`
`Page 8
`
`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's
`
`supervisor, Huy D Vu can be reached on 571-272-3155. The fax phone numberfor 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 Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for
`
`published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR.
`
`Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only.
`
`For more information about the PAIR system, see https://ppair-
`
`my.uspto.gov/pair/PrivatePair. Should you have questions on accessto the Private
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`PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free).
`
`If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access
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`
`272-1000.
`
`/DADY CHERY/
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2461
`
`