- ee Swrop0an Patent Oe or 2a Rw fen tee NETHERLANDS eee Ta: <3 70340 2040 SSeenr Fae 31 70000016 Formaites otter Namo. van gin, Babare Tet ssi 703004667, orca ASL #81 (0703404500, (MOA Pfenning, Meinig & Partner mbB. Patent- und Rechtsanwéite Joachimsthaler Strafe 10-12 wh = 4, Juni 2020 | None: Frou, cone” 10719 Berlin ] sua dod ‘Tel: 431 70340-4767 ALLEMAGNE f | | | | ‘Application No, Ref Date | 7] 17 838 543.1 - 1205 197EP 0334SL 02.06.2020 Teste Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. ‘Communication pursuant to Article 94(3) EPC The examination of the above-identified application has revealed that it does not meet the requirements of the European Patont Convention for the reasons enclosed herewith. If the deficiencies indicated are not rectified the application may be refused pursuant to Article 97(2) EPC. ‘You are invited to file your observations and insofar as the deficiencies are such as to be rectifiable, to correct the indicated deficioncles within a period of 4 months {rom the notification of this communication, this period being computed in accordance with Rules 126(2) and 181(2) and (4) EPC. One set of amendments to the description, claims and drawings is to be filed within the seid period on separate sheets (R. 50(1) EPC). If filing amendments, you must identity them and indicate the basis for them in the application as fled. Failure to meet either requirement may lead to a communication from the Examining Division requesting that you correct this deficiency (R. 137(4) EPC). ln case you withdraw the application within the above-mentioned period, the examination foo will be refunded ata rate of 50% (Art. 11 (b) RFees). Failure to comply with this invitation in due time will result in the application being deemed to be withdrawn (Art. 94(4) EPC), Registered letter EPO Fen 20 $1.67Date 02.06.2020 Sheet 2 Application No.: 17 838 543.1 Fintolu, loana Primary Examiner For the Examining Division Enclosure(s): 5 pages reasons (Form 2906) XP051053626 Registered letter OF 208 18.3878Datum Blatt Anmelden Date 02.06.2020 Sheet 1 Appication No: 17 $38 543.1 Date Fouille Demande nt: ‘The examination is being carried out on the following application documents Doseripti 1, Pages 1,3-8, 10-30 filed with entry into the regional phase before the EPO 2,2a,9 filed in electronic form on 07-02-2020 Claims, Numbers ttt filed in electronic form on 07-02-2020 Drawings, Sheets ttt filed with entry into the regional phase before the EPO The following documents have been cited in the procedure: Dt D2 ZTE: "Discussion on UCI transmission on an LAA SCell’, S3GPP DRAFT; R1-164598 - DISCUSSION ON UCI TRANSMISSION ON LAA SCELL, 3RD GENERATION PARTNERSHIP PROJECT (3GPP), MOBILE COMPETENCE CENTRE ; 650, ROUTE DES LUCIOLES ; F-06921 SOPHIA-ANTIPOLIS CEDEX ; FR vol. RAN WG1, no. Nanjing, China; 20160523 - 20160527 13 May 2016 (2016-05-13), XP051096887, Retrieved from the Internet: URL:httpy/www.3gpp.org/ftp/tsg_ran/WG1_RL1/TSGR1_85/Docs/ [retrieved on 2016-05-13] LG ELECTRONICS: "Processing time reduction for latency reduction", 3GPP DRAFT; R1-165429 PROCESSING TIME REDUCTION, 3RD GENERATION PARTNERSHIP PROJECT (GPP), MOBILE COMPETENCE CENTRE ; 650, ROUTE DES LUGIOLES ; F-06921 SOPHIA-ANTIPOLIS CEDEX ; FRANCE vol. RAN WG1, no. Nanjing, China; 20160523 - 20160527 20 May 2016 (2016-05-20), XPO51111625, Retrieved from the Internet: URL-httpy/vww.3gpp.crg/ttp/tsg_ran/WG1_RL1/TSGR1_85/Docs/ [retrieved on 2016-05-20] (EPO Form 290605 TRIDatum Blatt Armelde-Nr: Date 02.06.2020 Sheet 2 Application No: «17: 838 543.1 Date Fouile Demande n*: D3 US 2013/301490 Al (HE HONG [CN] ET AL) 14 November 2013 (2013-11-14) The following document is cited by the Examiner. A copy of the document is annexed to the communication and the numbering will be adhered to in the rest of the procedure. 08 HUAWEI ET AL: "Open issues on HARQ-ACK transmission for CA", 3GPP DRAFT; R1-160286, 3RD GENERATION PARTNERSHIP PROJECT (3GPP), MOBILE COMPETENCE CENTRE ; 650, ROUTE DES LUCIOLES ; F-06921 SOPHIA-ANTIPOLIS CEDEX ; FRANCE vol. RAN WG, no. St Julian's, Malta; 20160215 - 20160219 14 February 2016 (2016-02-14), XP051053626, Retrieved from the Internet: URL httpy/Avww.3gpp.org/ftp/Meetings_3GPP_SYNC/RAN1/Docs/ [retrieved on 2016-02-14] 1 The filed amendments overcome the objections raised in point 2 of the European search opinion, Pending independent claim 1 lacks an inventive step over the prior art. 2 Art. 56 EPC 24 Independent claim 1 Document D1 is closest prior art and discloses: A hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledgment, HARQ-ACK, feedback method (p 2, | 10: "HARQ-ACK"), wherein the method comprises: sending, by a network device to a terminal device, second indication information by radie- resource control RRC;-signaling, wherein the second indication information indicates the number of bits of the HARQ-ACK feedback information (the number of bits for sending HARQ-ACK is always available at the transmitter in order for the transmitter to be able to decode the received feedback and is received from the base station; more precisely D1 discloses this on p 2, | 20-21: “transmitting HARQ-ACK whose codebook contains HARQ-ACK information” and p 2, 26-27: "size of the HARQ-ACK codebook"); sending, by the network device to the terminal device, at least one piece of downlink data and downlink control information, DCI, corresponding to (EPO Form 290601 TRIDatum Date Date Blatt Anmelde-Nr 02.06.2020 Stet 3, Applicaton No: 17 838 543.1 Feulle Demande n°: 22 the at least one piece of downlink data, wherein the DCI comprises first indication information, the first indication information indicates a target transmission time interval, TTI, for transmitting HARQ-ACK feedback information corresponding to the at least one piece of downlink data, and the HARQ-ACK feedback information indicates a reception status of the at least one piece of downlink data (Fig 1; p 2, 1 10: "HARQ timing for PDSCH" discloses that a downlink data, i.e. the PDSCH, is sent; p 2, 1 13: "indicate the accurate HARQ-ACK timing by scheduling DCI" where the “scheduling DCI" corresponds to the downlink data, i.e. the *PDSCH", and the HARQ timing implicitly refers to a “target TTI");: receiving, by the network device, the HARQ-ACK feedback information from the terminal device in the target TTI (Fig 1; p 2, | 16: “feedback ACK/ NACK"); and decoding, by the network device, the HARQ-ACK feedback information based on the second indication information (the number of bits for sending HARG-ACK is always available at the transmitter in order for the transmitter to be able to decode the received feedback and is implicitly signalled beforehand to the “terminal device"; more precisely D1 discloses this on p 2, 120-21: “transmitting HARQ-ACK whose codebook contains HARQ-ACK information’ and p 2, 26-27: “size of the HARQ-ACK codebook"). The distinguishing technical feature is that the number of HARQ bits is signalled using RLC signaling. Using RLC signaling for control information is a common design option in the field of 3GPP network that the skilled person would Consider without exercising an inventive step and represents therefore a mere implementation detail with no unexpected technical effect (see for instance document D4 that mentions on page 2, | 1-2: “arrangement of the HARQ-ACK bits for the case where the HARQ-ACK codebook size is RRC configured is already defined in TS36.212 [4], to avoid duplicated and ambiguous HARQ-ACK determination"). Hence independent claim 1 lacks an inventive step over the disclosures of D1 and common general knowledge in the 3GPP network communication field (Art. 56 EPC). Documents D2 and D3 The subject-matter of claim 1 also lacks an inventive step over the disclosure of 02 or D3 (Art, 56 EPC). See some signalling options in the passages mentioned in the supplementary search report. EPO Form 290601 91TAIct tur Date Date Batt ‘Anmelde Net 02.06.2020 Sheet 4 AppicatoaNe: «17 838 543.1 Feuille Demande n® 23 42 43 44 Independent claims 3, 5, 7,9, 10 and 11 These claims contain features corresponding to the features of claim 1. The reasoning applied above to claim 1 applies therefore mutatis mutandis to independent claims 3, 5, 7, 9, 10 and 11, which therefore lack an inventive step over the disclosure of D1, D2 or D3 (Art. 56 EPC). Dependent claims Dependent claims 2, 4, 6 and 8 (Art. 56 EPC) Document D1 discloses also the additional features of these claims (the number of bits for sending HARQ-ACK is always available at the transmitter in order for the transmitter to be able to decode the received feedback; more precisely D1 discloses this on p 2, | 20-21: “transmitting HARQ-ACK whose codebook contains HARQ-ACK information" and p 2, 26-27: "size of the HARQ-ACK codebook"). Further remarks Having the description and the prior art in mind, the examining division is of the preliminary opinion that there appears to be no possibility to arrive at any allowable claims by amendment and that a refusal under Art. 97(2) EPC is to be expected. As next procedural step, summons to oral proceedings under Article 116(1) EPC should be expected. attention of the applicant is also kindly drawn to the Article 11(b) RF \f examination fee e ia at a rate expiry of the time limit for replying to the first invitation under Art. 94(3) issi examining division (see also Guidelines A-X, 10.2.4 and Guidelines A-Vi, 25 (ii). Would the applicant choose to proceed with examination, the attention of the applicant is drawn to the fact that the application may not be amended in such a way that it contains subject-matter which extends beyond the content of the application as filled (Article 123(2) EPC). When filling an amended set of claims the applicant should provide reasons, why he considers the independent claims inventive in terms of the problem solution approach (Guidelines G-VII; see also Rule 42(1)(c) EPC). [EPO Foe 2906 01 SITRIDatu Blatt ‘Armelde-Nr Date 02.06.2020 Sheet 5. ApplicatonNe: = 17 838 543.1 Date Feuille Demande n: 4.5 In order to examine the conformity of the amended application with the requirements of Article 123(2) EPC, the applicant is requested to clearly identify the amendments cartied out, irrespective if they concern amendments by addition, replacement or deletion, and to indicate the passages of the application as filed on which these amendments are based. EPO Form 290601 917Asns0000: <8 Bitte beachten Sie, dass angefiihrte Nichtpatentliteratur (wie z. B. wissenschaftliche oder technische Dokumente) je nach geltendem Recht dem Urheberrechtsschutz und/oder anderen Schutzarten fiir schriftliche Werke unterliegen kénnte. 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Copyrighted texts may not be copied or used in other electronic or printed publications or re-distributed without the express permission of the copyright holder. XS CPRTENFRDE onerons00cF | >