DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priorities and Examiner Remarks
This application is a National Stage entry of PCT/US2021/042786 (International Filing Date: 07/22/2021) which claims foreign priority to application of INDIA: 202021037438 (filed 08/31/2020).
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 11/26/2025 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be 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 obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1, 3-5, 7, 10, 13, 15-17, 19-22, 24, 30, and 32-35 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over EDGE et al. (US 20180343635 A1, hereinafter Edge_635), in view of EDGE et al. (US 20190166453 A1, hereinafter Edge_53).
Regarding claim 1, Edge_635 teaches a method of operating a user equipment (UE), comprising (in general, see fig. 5 along with fig. 4 and their respective paragraphs, note that “...FIG. 5 may correspond to (e.g. may partially or fully support) block 418 in FIG. 4...”, in other words, one or more of the steps in fig. 5 (e.g. steps 507-512) are used for supporting the location measurement step 418 of fig. 4):
receiving a set of tracking reference signal (TRS) configurations (Edge_635, see at least para. 62 in view of para. 55, “...At block 507, the UE 105 can convert the LTE timing of the PRS positioning occasions for reference and neighbor cells for ng-eNBs 180 and/or eNBs 170 provided by the LMF 120 (in the LPP assistance data sent at actions 414 and 415) to corresponding NR timing for the gNB 110-1...”, note that in fig. 4, “... LMF 120 may then send some or all of the assistance data received at actions 409 and 413 to UE 105 (e.g. may send PRS configuration information for eNB 170-1 and/or ng-eNB 180-1) via an LPP Provide Assistance Data message sent to the AMF 115 at action 414, and relayed to the UE 105 in a 5G NAS transport message by AMF 115 at action 415...”);
receiving a configuration of at least one measurement gap (MG) (Edge_635, see at least para. 65, “...UE 105 may then send an NR RRC measurement gap request to gNB 110-1 at action 508 to request measurements gaps (e.g. which may comprise a series of periodic short periods of around 5-10 ms, in some embodiments) with respect to NR timing. GNB 110-1 may optionally confirm the request at action 509 (e.g. by sending an RRC confirmation message to UE 105)...”);
and
performing a set of spatial measurements associated with a set of TRSs on resources configured by the respective set of TRS configurations (Edge_635, see at least para. 66, “...The UE 105 can then periodically (when each measurement gap occurs) tune away from NR access to gNB 110-1 to acquire and measure a Time of Arrival (TOA) for a PRS broadcast for a reference or neighbor cell for ng-eNB 180-1, at action 511, and acquire and measure a TOA for a PRS broadcast for a reference or neighbor cell for eNB 170-1, at action 512...”);
wherein the set of spatial measurements is performed during the at least one MG, and wherein transmission activity and reception activity other than the set of spatial measurements is prohibited at least on a bandwidth associated with the set of spatial measurements (Edge_635, see at least para. 65 and 61, “...During each of the measurement gaps, at block 510, gNB 110-1 may suspend NR transmission to UE 105 and suspend NR reception from UE 105 in order to allow UE 105 to tune away from NR wireless access during each measurement gap...”).
Edge_635 does not specifically teaches tracking reference signal (TRS) configurations associated with a set of wireless network components.
Edge_53 teaches tracking reference signal (TRS) configurations associated with a set of wireless network components (in general, see fig. 12 and corresponding paragraphs 120-134, in particular, see at least para. 123, “...LS 160 may provide a list of cells supported by nearby base stations 120 (e.g. determined based on a current serving cell or current serving base station 120 for UE 105) and information (e.g. timing, frequency, bandwidth, code sequence, muting) for signals transmitted in these cells such as a positioning reference signal (PRS), a tracking reference signal (TRS), or a Cell-specific Reference Signal (CRS) used for AOA and/or DAOA measurements (e.g. as further described here in association with FIGS. 2 and 3)...”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to a person having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate Edge_53 into the method of Edge_635 to effectively improve the accuracy of the location estimate of UE.
Regarding claim 3, Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 teaches the at least one MG is based upon an MG recommendation from a location management function (LMF) component. (Edge_635, see sections including at least para. 24-29, in particular, see at least para. 27, e.g. measurement gaps provided to the UE by an LMF)
Regarding claim 4, Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 teaches wherein the set of spatial measurements comprise a set of positioning measurements, or wherein the set of spatial measurements comprise a set of motion measurements, or a combination thereof. (Edge_635, see at least para. 71, “…In the architecture illustrated in FIG. 1, an ng-eNB 180 and/or an eNB 170 may transmit a PRS (i.e. a downlink (DL) PRS) such as the PRS illustrated in FIG. 6 and (as described later) FIG. 7, which may be measured and used for UE (e.g., UE 105) position determination...”)
Regarding claim 5, Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 teaches wherein the set of motion measurements comprises a set of velocity measurements, or wherein the set of motion measurements comprises a set of acceleration measurements, or a combination thereof. (Edge_53, see at least para. 126 in view of para. 124, e.g. step 1240, “…At block 1240, UE 105 obtains some or all of the measurements requested at action 1235 (e.g. both the AOA and/or DAOA measurements and the movement, orientation, velocity, or acceleration-related measurements that comprise sensor location information) over a period of time… the location-related measurements may include measurements of AOA and/or DAOA obtained by measuring PRS or other reference signals (e.g. CRS or TRS signals) transmitted by base stations 120”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to a person having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate Edge_635 into the method of Edge_53 for effectively allowing UE to tune away for various tasks.
Regarding claim 7, Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 teaches transmitting an indication of a UE capability to process downlink data in a frequency-domain. (Edge_635, see at least para. 53, “…the LPP Provide Capabilities message sent at actions 404 and 405 can indicate the positioning capabilities of the UE 105 (e.g., position methods supported by the UE 105 such as A-GNSS positioning, RTK positioning, OTDOA positioning, ECID positioning, WLAN positioning, etc.) while accessing a 5G network using NR…”)
Regarding claim 10, Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 teaches receiving, for at least one TRS configuration among the set of TRS configurations, a validity period. (Edge_635, see at least para. 80, for one example, but not limited to, “…FIG. 7 shows how PRS positioning occasions are determined by a System Frame Number (SFN), a cell specific subframe offset (ΔPRS) and the PRS Periodicity (TPRS) 620…”)
Regarding claim 13, Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 teaches transmitting a measurement report based on the set of spatial measurements. (Edge_635, see at least para. 66-67 and 56, “...UE 105 may then obtain an OTDOA RSTD measurement at block 513 from the difference of the two TOA measurements as described later for FIGS. 6 and 7. ... The UE 105 can then include the measurements in an LPP Provide Location message (e.g., at action 419, continuing the process illustrated in FIG. 4)...”, note that in step 419, “...The location measurements or the location estimate may be provided in an LPP Provide Location message, which may be sent by the UE 105 to the AMF 115, via gNB 110-1, in a 5G NAS transport message at action 419...”)
Regarding claim 15, Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 teaches the set of TRSs is received while the UE is operating in accordance with radio resource control (RRC) inactive state or RRC idle state. (Edge_635, see sections including at least para. 24-29, in particular, see at least para. 28 in view of fig. 5, “…The UE may tune away from 5G wireless access during each measurement gap and obtain one or more LTE measurements (e.g., Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) measurements for OTDOA) …”)
Regarding claim 16, this claim is rejected for the same reasoning as claim 1. To be more specific, although reciting subject matters slightly different, one skilled in the art would have known claim 16 performs reverse (or corresponding) procedures of claim 1. For example, it would be a base station of claim 16 that performs the reverse (or corresponding) receiving from and transmitting to the UE of claim 1. Hence, the examiner applies the same rejection reasoning as set forth in claim 1.
Regarding claim 17, Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 teaches the wireless network component corresponds to a serving base station of the UE, further comprising: transmitting, to the UE, an indication of the TRS configuration for the wireless network component and at least one other TRS configuration for at least one other wireless network component associated with the spatial measurement procedure. (Edge_53, see at least para. 123, “...LS 160 may provide a list of cells supported by nearby base stations 120 (e.g. determined based on a current serving cell or current serving base station 120 for UE 105) and information (e.g. timing, frequency, bandwidth, code sequence, muting) for signals transmitted in these cells such as a positioning reference signal (PRS), a tracking reference signal (TRS), or a Cell-specific Reference Signal (CRS) used for AOA and/or DAOA measurements (e.g. as further described here in association with FIGS. 2 and 3)...”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to a person having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate Edge_53 into the method of Edge_635 to effectively improve the accuracy of the location estimate of UE.
Regarding claim 19, Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 teaches wherein the wireless network component corresponds to a serving wireless network component of the UE, further comprising: transmitting, to the UE, a configuration of the at least one MG. (Edge_635, see at least para. 65 along with para. 27, “...UE 105 may then send an NR RRC measurement gap request to gNB 110-1 at action 508 to request measurements gaps (e.g. which may comprise a series of periodic short periods of around 5-10 ms, in some embodiments) with respect to NR timing. GNB 110-1 may optionally confirm the request at action 509 (e.g. by sending an RRC confirmation message to UE 105)...”)
Regarding claims 20, 21, 22, 24, 30, and 32, in view of claim 16 above, these claims are rejected for the same reasoning as claims 3, 4, 5, 7, 13, and 15, respectively.
Regarding claim 33, this claim is rejected for the same reasoning as claim 1 except this claim is in apparatus claim format.
To be more specific, Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 also teaches a same or similar apparatus comprising processor, transceiver, and memory (Edge_635, see at least fig. 12), which are well known in the art and commonly used for providing and enabling robust and reliable data communication hardware and software.
Regarding claim 34, this claim is rejected for the same reasoning as claim 16 except this claim is in apparatus claim format.
To be more specific, Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 also teaches a same or similar apparatus comprising processor, transceiver, and memory (Edge_635, see at least fig. 12), which are well known in the art and commonly used for providing and enabling robust and reliable data communication hardware and software.
Regarding claim 35, this claim is rejected for the same reasoning as claim 1 except this claim is in apparatus claim format.
To be more specific, Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 also teaches a same or similar apparatus comprising means for performing various functions (Edge_635, see at least fig. 12), which are well known in the art and commonly used for providing and enabling robust and reliable data communication hardware and software.
Claims 6, 8, 9, 23, 25, 26, and 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Edge_635 in view of Edge_53, as applied to claims 1 and 16 above, and further in view of Ahn et al. (US 20150030037 A1, hereinafter Ahn).
Regarding claim 6, Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 teaches claim 1.
Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 does not teach the set of TRSs is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.
Ahn teaches the set of TRSs is multiplexed with user plane data traffic (see at least para. 95 in view of para. 46 of fig. 2, for one example, but not limited to, “…The TRS may be transmitted through the same antenna port (for example, CRS antenna port 0) as that of the CRS. The base station may report whether the TRS is transmitted through the same antenna port as that of the CRS…”, in other words, TRS(s) may be multiplexed in data plane region).
Therefore, it would have been obvious, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to a person having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate Ahn into the method of Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 for effectively reducing overhead.
Regarding claim 8, Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 and Ahn teaches receiving at least one indication of whether at least one TRS from the set of TRSs is multiplexed with user plane data traffic. (Ahn, see at least para. 95 in view of para. 46 of fig. 2, for one example, but not limited to, “…The TRS may be transmitted through the same antenna port (for example, CRS antenna port 0) as that of the CRS. The base station may report whether the TRS is transmitted through the same antenna port as that of the CRS…”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to a person having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate Ahn into the method of Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 for effectively reducing overhead.
Regarding claim 9, Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 and Ahn teaches the at least one indication is provided on a per wireless network component basis for a respective configured instance of the respective TRS configuration. (Ahn, see at least para. 95 in view of para. 46 of fig. 2, for one example, but not limited to, “…The TRS may be transmitted through the same antenna port (for example, CRS antenna port 0) as that of the CRS. The base station may report whether the TRS is transmitted through the same antenna port as that of the CRS…”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to a person having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate Ahn into the method of Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 for effectively reducing overhead.
Regarding claims 23, 25, and 26, in view of claim 16 above, these claims are rejected for the same reasoning as claims 6, 8, and 9, respectively.
Regarding claim 27, Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 and Ahn teaches transmitting, for the TRS configurations, a validity period. (Edge_635, see at least para. 80, for one example, but not limited to, “…FIG. 7 shows how PRS positioning occasions are determined by a System Frame Number (SFN), a cell specific subframe offset (ΔPRS) and the PRS Periodicity (TPRS) 620…”)
Claims 11-12, and 28-29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Edge_635 in view of Edge_53, as applied to claims 1 and 16 above, and further in view of Stephen William Edge (US 20190045477 A1, hereinafter Edge_77).
Regarding claim 11, Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 teaches claim 1.
Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 does not teach at least one TRS configuration of the set of TRS configurations is received in association with on-demand triggering of a spatial measurement procedure that comprises the set of spatial measurements.
Edge_77 teaches at least one TRS configuration of the set of TRS configurations is received in association with on-demand triggering of a spatial measurement procedure that comprises the set of spatial measurements (Edge_77, see at least para. 104, “…The broadcast by each of gNBs 110-1, 110-2 and 110-3 may be continuous, periodic or on demand. The UE 105 then measures RSTDs between one or more pairs of gNBs at stage 775—e.g. as requested at stage 705 if stage 705
occurs.…”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to a person having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate Edge_77 into the method of Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 to improve the level of synchronization.
Regarding claim 12, Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 and Edge_77 teaches
wherein at least one TRS configuration of the set of TRS configurations is received before on-demand triggering of a spatial measurement procedure that comprises the set of spatial measurements (Edge_77, see at least para. 96 and fig. 7, “…stage 710 may occur before, after or at the same time as stage 705…”),
further comprising: receiving an instruction to perform the spatial measurement procedure on the resources configured by the at least one TRS configuration (Edge_77, see at least para. 96 along with fig. 4, for one example, but not limited to, “…for each reference signal, may include one or more of a carrier frequency, a bandwidth, a code sequence, a muting pattern, a frequency shift, an indication of particular subframes or radio frames carrying a reference signal…”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to a person having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate Edge_77 into the method of Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 to improve the level of synchronization.
Regarding claims 28 and 29, in view of claim 16 above, these claims are rejected for the same reasoning as claims 11 and 12, respectively.
Claims 14 and 31 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Edge_635 in view of Edge_53, as applied to claim 13 and 30 above, and further in view of PRIYANTO et al. (US 20210329417 A1, hereinafter PRIYANTO).
Regarding claim 14, Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 teaches claim 13.
Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 does not teach receiving, after the performing, a request for a location of the UE, wherein the transmitting transmits the measurement report in response to the request.
PRIYANTO teaches receiving, after the performing, a request for a location of the UE, wherein the transmitting transmits the measurement report in response to the request (in general, see fig. 2-3 and their paragraphs, in particular, see at least para. 35, for one non-limiting example, see step 375 in view of step 345-350).
Therefore, it would have been obvious, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to a person having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate PRIYANTO into the method of Edge_635 in view of Edge_53 for improving efficiency of PRS transmission by using the on-demand positioning techniques.
Regarding claim 31, this claim is rejected for the same reasoning as claim 14.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 11/26/2025 have been fully considered. Regarding independent claims 1, 16, and 33-35, since applicant's amendment necessitated new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action, previous Office action's rejections are moot. Accordingly, corresponding dependent claims have also been rejected in this Office action.
Conclusion
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/YEE F LAM/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2465