Prior art

The most relevant prior art for US patent 10136416, "Communicating on a shared channel in a wireless network," primarily comprises several U.S. patents and patent applications, as cited by the examiner. Among these, US20050169224A1 (Malkamaki) and US20070058617A1 (Bhattacharya) were explicitly used in an Inter Partes Review (IPR2025-00218) to challenge claims of US10136416, indicating their perceived high relevance by a third party.

Here is an analysis of the key prior art citations:

1. US6711136B1

• Full Citation: US6711136B1, "Adaptive rate traffic channel allocation method", Inventors: Vasisht et al., Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited.
• Publication/Filing Date: Published 2004-03-23; Filed 2000-09-08.
• Brief Description: This patent describes methods and systems for allocating traffic channels in a wireless communication system by adaptively varying the rate based on available channel resources and traffic demands to enhance bandwidth utilization.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference broadly relates to dynamic resource allocation and efficiency in traffic channels. However, it does not appear to explicitly describe the specific mechanism of using an indicator bit to dynamically activate/deactivate a direct signaling channel (such as FACH) and reallocate its dedicated resources to another channel (such as HS-DSCH) when the signaling channel is inactive, as detailed in US10136416 claims 1 and 14.

2. US6856616B1

• Full Citation: US6856616B1, "Wireless communication system for transmitting data based on available channel resources", Inventors: Nydén et al., Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ).
• Publication/Filing Date: Published 2005-02-15; Filed 2001-09-24.
• Brief Description: This patent describes a wireless communication system that transmits data by dynamically allocating resources, particularly for shared channels, to optimize throughput and efficiency.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to US6711136B1, this patent covers general concepts of dynamic resource allocation in shared channels. It does not appear to disclose the specific, indicator-driven conditional reuse of resources of a direct signaling channel by another channel when the signaling channel is not transmitting, which is a central feature of US10136416 claims 1 and 14.

3. US7139265B2

• Full Citation: US7139265B2, "Method and apparatus for facilitating signaling on shared channel", Inventors: Hottinen et al., Assignee: Nokia Corporation.
• Publication/Filing Date: Published 2006-11-21; Filed 2003-01-21.
• Brief Description: This patent addresses efficient signaling on shared channels, particularly for transmitting control information to multiple users, and may involve the use of indicators for signaling data presence or allocation on these shared channels.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is more directly relevant due to its focus on "signaling on shared channel" and potential use of indicators. It could potentially anticipate aspects of US10136416 claims 20 and 24 concerning a UE's logic for receiving indicator bits and responding to signaling on shared channels. However, its description does not explicitly state the dynamic reallocation of the signaling channel's own resources to a different channel type based on its activity, as taught by US10136416 claims 1 and 14.

4. US20020163900A1

• Full Citation: US20020163900A1, "System and method for sharing common downlink channels between mobile stations", Inventors: Terry et al., Assignee: InterDigital Technology Corporation.
• Publication/Filing Date: Published 2002-11-07; Filed 2001-05-07.
• Brief Description: This application describes a system and method for sharing common downlink channels among multiple mobile stations through multiplexing and scheduling for efficient resource utilization.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference deals with sharing common downlink channels, which broadly relates to the FACH context. However, it focuses more on multiplexing multiple users on common channels rather than the specific dynamic reallocation of an entire direct signaling channel's reserved resources to another channel type based on its activity status, which is central to US10136416 claims 1 and 14.

5. US20040156336A1

• Full Citation: US20040156336A1, "Resource allocation for mixed services in a wireless communication system", Inventors: Takanashi et al., Assignee: Nokia Corporation.
• Publication/Filing Date: Published 2004-08-12; Filed 2003-07-29.
• Brief Description: This application relates to resource allocation in wireless systems that support various mixed services, describing methods for efficiently allocating resources among different service types.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent covers broad resource allocation for different service types. While FACH and HS-DSCH are different services, the description does not suggest the specific inventive step of US10136416, which involves an indicator bit specifically for a direct signaling channel's activity, triggering the reallocation of its reserved resources to another channel when idle, as described in claims 1 and 14.

6. US20050169224A1 (Malkamaki)

• Full Citation: US20050169224A1, "Signaling of high speed data channel related control information for discontinuous reception (DRX) operation", Inventors: Malkamaki et al., Assignee: Nokia Corporation.
• Publication/Filing Date: Published 2005-08-04; Filed 2004-03-24.
• Brief Description: This application describes methods for signaling control information related to high-speed data channels, particularly for discontinuous reception (DRX) operation in User Equipment (UEs), enabling UEs to know when to monitor control channels for data allocations.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is highly relevant as it addresses signaling for high-speed data channels (like HS-DSCH) and DRX, involving a UE monitoring for indicators to manage its reception. This directly relates to the UE's role in US10136416 claims 20 and 24, where the UE receives an indicator bit and modifies its resource allocation in response. The non-institution of IPR2025-00218 suggests that the PTAB found distinctions between Malkamaki and the claims of US10136416, likely pertaining to the specific application of the indicator to a direct signaling channel (FACH) and the subsequent dynamic reallocation of its resources.

7. US20070058617A1 (Bhattacharya)

• Full Citation: US20070058617A1, "Apparatus and methods for enabling sharing of resources on a common channel", Inventors: Bhattacharya et al., Assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated.
• Publication/Filing Date: Published 2007-03-15; Filed 2005-09-12.
• Brief Description: This application describes apparatus and methods for enabling the sharing of resources on a common channel among multiple access terminals, potentially involving dynamic resource allocation and providing indicators to inform terminals about resource usage.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is also highly relevant due to its focus on "sharing of resources on a common channel" and "providing indicators to inform terminals about resource usage." This could potentially anticipate aspects of US10136416 claims 1 and 14 (network node setting an indicator for a direct signaling channel and reallocating resources) and claims 20 and 24 (UE receiving an indicator and modifying resource allocation). Similar to Malkamaki, the IPR non-institution implies that the PTAB identified distinctions, likely related to the specific context of a direct signaling channel (FACH), the nature of the indicator, and the precise dynamic reallocation mechanism for improving resource utilization and power efficiency.