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 .
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 the 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 22 Dec. 2025 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments—set forth at pp. 9-10 in the Remarks with respect to independent claims 1, 20, 36, and 41—have been fully considered but are moot because the new grounds of rejection relies on one or more reference not applied in the prior rejection of record for some teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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 the 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 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, 9, 20, 35, 36, and 41 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over US 2023/0296722 (hereinafter, “SHRESTHA”) in view of US Pat. No. 5,189,734 (hereinafter, “BAILEY”).
Regarding claim 1, SHRESTHA discloses:
A method for performing radio resource management measurements, comprising: (¶ 0096: radio resource management)
receiving, with a user equipment, positioning assistance data including station location information for a plurality of stations; (¶ 0068: [A] wireless communication network configures a WCD (for example the WCD that performs the method 500) with a downlink reference signal for positioning measurements and an uplink reference signal for backscattering measurements; ¶ 0065: [M]ethod 500 further comprises obtaining 502 positioning measurements for one or more downlink transmissions comprising the downlink reference signal. The WCD may for example perform measurements on the one or more downlink transmissions to obtain measurement values which can be used for estimating a position of the WCD. The positioning measurements may for example comprise a time of arrival (ToA) measurement, and/or an angle of arrival (AoA) measurement, and/or a reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement); ¶ 0071: [M]ethod 600 comprises receiving 602 positioning measurements; ¶ 0034: [M]easurements may be backscattering measurements such as backscattered signal received power to characterize the environment in the UE vicinity; ¶ 0060: [M]ethods 300 and 400 may for example be regarded as a RAN based UE environment mapping scheme; ¶ 0147: Access network 1511 comprises a plurality of base stations 1512 a, 1512 b, 1512 c, such as NBs, eNBs, gNBs or other types of wireless access points, each defining a corresponding coverage area 1513 a, 1513 b, 1513 c)
determining, with the user equipment, a current location and a future trajectory; (¶ 0072: [M]ethod 600 comprises estimating 603 a position of the WCD based on the positioning measurements received at step 602; ¶ 0055: [M]ethod 400 may for example comprise estimating a future position or trajectory of the WCD relative to the estimated environment of the WCD)
performing, with the user equipment, radio resource management measurements with the . . . subset of stations (¶ 0049: [S]tep 404, in which one or more action is performed based on the environment of the WCD estimated at step 403; ¶ 0055: [P]erforming one or more of the following based on the estimated future position or trajectory: scheduling a transmission, or selecting beamforming, or adapting a positioning reference signal configuration. The network node performing the method 400 may for example predict when conditions for radio transmissions to/from the WCD are likely to be good or bad, and may adapt scheduling, beamforming, or positioning reference signal configuration to take this into account; ¶ 0031: UE-assisted methods are leveraged with an opportunity to do the positioning measurements such as Angle of Arrival (AoA), Time of Arrival (ToA), Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), on high bandwidth reference signals that are transmitted by the network or the UE during a positioning occasion. UE-assisted methods may for example include positioning measurements on high bandwidth Downlink (DL) and high bandwidth Uplink (UL) reference signals respectively transmitted by the network within an OTDOA positioning occasion and by the UE within an UTDOA positioning occasion)
SHRESTHA does not explicitly disclose:
determining, with the user equipment and based at least in part on the positioning assistance data and the future trajectory, a prioritized subset of stations, of the plurality stations, that includes stations of the plurality of stations that are in front of the user equipment and excludes stations of the plurality of stations that are behind the user equipment; and
a prioritized subset of stations
In the same field of endeavor, however, BAILEY teaches:
determining, with the user equipment and based at least in part on the positioning assistance data and the future trajectory, a prioritized subset of stations, of the plurality stations, that includes stations of the plurality of stations that are in front of the user equipment and excludes stations of the plurality of stations that are behind the user equipment (Col. 4, ll. 39-50: [W]here a mobile is proceeding along a part of a motorway not having any exits or where the user is on a train, the network controllers and/or base stations on determining this fact avoid reserving channels in those "adjacent" cells which it is predictable that the user will not pass. However . . . the network controllers and/or base stations may form a subset of cells which are aligned with the route to be taken and . . . more than one cell ahead of the path of movement may be reserved)
a prioritized subset of stations (Col. 4, ll. 47-48: [A] subset of cells which are aligned with the route to be taken; col. 2, l. 65 – col. 3, l. 2: [A] mobile follows a particular route from one cell to the next, then those base stations in the cells of each subset not lying on the particular route can assign a low priority to a reservation request whilst the cell(s) of each subset lying on the particular route can assign a high priority to the reservation request; col. 6, ll. 22-24: [T]he network controller or base station to note a user moving rapidly through a succession of cells and if necessary to adjust the processing priorities)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify SHRESTHA’s positioning measurement-based radio resource management procedure to provide formation of a subset of cells as taught by BAILEY which are aligned with the route to be taken, so that more than one cell ahead of the path of movement may be reserved, such that successive handovers can be effected with the minimum of delay. See BAILEY, at col. 4, ll. 47-51).
Regarding claim 9, the combination of SHRESTHA and BAILEY, as applied above, renders obvious the method of claim 1. SHRESTHA further discloses:
wherein the radio resource management measurements include one or more of Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) and Signal To Interference plus Noise (SlNR) values. (¶ 0065: [P]ositioning measurements may for example comprise a . . . reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement)
Regarding claim 20, SHRESTHA discloses:
An apparatus (network node 1460), comprising:
a memory; (memories 1480)
at least one transceiver; (RF transceiver circuitry 1472)
at least one processor (processing circuitry 1470) communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver and configured to:
receive positioning assistance data including station location information for a plurality of stations; (¶ 0068: [A] wireless communication network configures a WCD (for example the WCD that performs the method 500) with a downlink reference signal for positioning measurements and an uplink reference signal for backscattering measurements; ¶ 0065: [M]ethod 500 further comprises obtaining 502 positioning measurements for one or more downlink transmissions comprising the downlink reference signal. The WCD may for example perform measurements on the one or more downlink transmissions to obtain measurement values which can be used for estimating a position of the WCD. The positioning measurements may for example comprise a time of arrival (ToA) measurement, and/or an angle of arrival (AoA) measurement, and/or a reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement); ¶ 0071: [M]ethod 600 comprises receiving 602 positioning measurements; ¶ 0034: [M]easurements may be backscattering measurements such as backscattered signal received power to characterize the environment in the UE vicinity; ¶ 0060: [M]ethods 300 and 400 may for example be regarded as a RAN based UE environment mapping scheme; ¶ 0147: Access network 1511 comprises a plurality of base stations 1512 a, 1512 b, 1512 c, such as NBs, eNBs, gNBs or other types of wireless access points, each defining a corresponding coverage area 1513 a, 1513 b, 1513 c)
determine a current location and a future trajectory of the apparatus; (¶ 0072: [M]ethod 600 comprises estimating 603 a position of the WCD based on the positioning measurements received at step 602; ¶ 0055: [M]ethod 400 may for example comprise estimating a future position or trajectory of the WCD relative to the estimated environment of the WCD)
perform radio resource management measurements with the . . . subset of stations, (¶ 0049: [S]tep 404, in which one or more action is performed based on the environment of the WCD estimated at step 403; ¶ 0055: [P]erforming one or more of the following based on the estimated future position or trajectory: scheduling a transmission, or selecting beamforming, or adapting a positioning reference signal configuration. The network node performing the method 400 may for example predict when conditions for radio transmissions to/from the WCD are likely to be good or bad, and may adapt scheduling, beamforming, or positioning reference signal configuration to take this into account; ¶ 0031: UE-assisted methods are leveraged with an opportunity to do the positioning measurements such as Angle of Arrival (AoA), Time of Arrival (ToA), Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), on high bandwidth reference signals that are transmitted by the network or the UE during a positioning occasion. UE-assisted methods may for example include positioning measurements on high bandwidth Downlink (DL) and high bandwidth Uplink (UL) reference signals respectively transmitted by the network within an OTDOA positioning occasion and by the UE within an UTDOA positioning occasion)
SHRESTHA does not explicitly teach:
determine, based at least in part on the positioning assistance data and the future trajectory, a prioritized subset of stations, of the plurality stations, that includes stations of the plurality of stations that are in front of the user equipment and excludes stations of the plurality of stations that are behind the user equipment; and
a prioritized subset of stations
In the same field of endeavor, however, BAILEY teaches:
determine, based at least in part on the positioning assistance data and the future trajectory, a prioritized subset of stations, of the plurality stations, that includes stations of the plurality of stations that are in front of the user equipment and excludes stations of the plurality of stations that are behind the user equipment (Col. 4, ll. 39-50: [W]here a mobile is proceeding along a part of a motorway not having any exits or where the user is on a train, the network controllers and/or base stations on determining this fact avoid reserving channels in those "adjacent" cells which it is predictable that the user will not pass. However . . . the network controllers and/or base stations may form a subset of cells which are aligned with the route to be taken and . . . more than one cell ahead of the path of movement may be reserved)
a prioritized subset of stations (Col. 4, ll. 47-48: [A] subset of cells which are aligned with the route to be taken; col. 2, l. 65 – col. 3, l. 2: [A] mobile follows a particular route from one cell to the next, then those base stations in the cells of each subset not lying on the particular route can assign a low priority to a reservation request whilst the cell(s) of each subset lying on the particular route can assign a high priority to the reservation request; col. 6, ll. 22-24: [T]he network controller or base station to note a user moving rapidly through a succession of cells and if necessary to adjust the processing priorities)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify SHRESTHA’s positioning measurement-based radio resource management procedure to provide formation of a subset of cells as taught by BAILEY which are aligned with the route to be taken, so that more than one cell ahead of the path of movement may be reserved, such that successive handovers can be effected with the minimum of delay. See BAILEY, at col. 4, ll. 47-51).
Regarding claim 35, the combination of SHRESTHA and BAILEY, as applied above, renders obvious the apparatus of claim 20. SHRESTHA further discloses:
wherein the radio resource management measurements include one or more of Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) and Signal To Interference plus Noise (SINR) values. (¶ 0065: [P]ositioning measurements may for example comprise a . . . reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement)
Regarding claim 36, SHRESTHA discloses:
An apparatus (network node 1460) for performing radio resource management measurements, comprising:
means for receiving positioning assistance data including station location information for a plurality of stations; (¶ 0068: [A] wireless communication network configures a WCD (for example the WCD that performs the method 500) with a downlink reference signal for positioning measurements and an uplink reference signal for backscattering measurements; ¶ 0065: [M]ethod 500 further comprises obtaining 502 positioning measurements for one or more downlink transmissions comprising the downlink reference signal. The WCD may for example perform measurements on the one or more downlink transmissions to obtain measurement values which can be used for estimating a position of the WCD. The positioning measurements may for example comprise a time of arrival (ToA) measurement, and/or an angle of arrival (AoA) measurement, and/or a reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement); ¶ 0071: [M]ethod 600 comprises receiving 602 positioning measurements; ¶ 0034: [M]easurements may be backscattering measurements such as backscattered signal received power to characterize the environment in the UE vicinity; ¶ 0060: [M]ethods 300 and 400 may for example be regarded as a RAN based UE environment mapping scheme; ¶ 0147: Access network 1511 comprises a plurality of base stations 1512 a, 1512 b, 1512 c, such as NBs, eNBs, gNBs or other types of wireless access points, each defining a corresponding coverage area 1513 a, 1513 b, 1513 c)
means for determining a current location and a future trajectory of the apparatus; and (¶ 0072: [M]ethod 600 comprises estimating 603 a position of the WCD based on the positioning measurements received at step 602; ¶ 0055: [M]ethod 400 may for example comprise estimating a future position or trajectory of the WCD relative to the estimated environment of the WCD)
means for performing radio resource management measurements with the . . . subset of stations, (¶ 0049: [S]tep 404, in which one or more action is performed based on the environment of the WCD estimated at step 403; ¶ 0055: [P]erforming one or more of the following based on the estimated future position or trajectory: scheduling a transmission, or selecting beamforming, or adapting a positioning reference signal configuration. The network node performing the method 400 may for example predict when conditions for radio transmissions to/from the WCD are likely to be good or bad, and may adapt scheduling, beamforming, or positioning reference signal configuration to take this into account; ¶ 0031: UE-assisted methods are leveraged with an opportunity to do the positioning measurements such as Angle of Arrival (AoA), Time of Arrival (ToA), Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), on high bandwidth reference signals that are transmitted by the network or the UE during a positioning occasion. UE-assisted methods may for example include positioning measurements on high bandwidth Downlink (DL) and high bandwidth Uplink (UL) reference signals respectively transmitted by the network within an OTDOA positioning occasion and by the UE within an UTDOA positioning occasion)
SHRESTHA does not explicitly disclose:
means for determining, based at least in part on the positioning assistance data and the future trajectory, a prioritized subset of stations, of the plurality stations, that includes stations of the plurality of stations that are in front of the user equipment and excludes stations of the plurality of stations that are behind the user equipment; and
a prioritized subset of stations
In the same field of endeavor, however, BAILEY teaches:
means for determining, based at least in part on the positioning assistance data and the future trajectory, a prioritized subset of stations, of the plurality stations, that includes stations of the plurality of stations that are in front of the user equipment and excludes stations of the plurality of stations that are behind the user equipment; and (Col. 4, ll. 39-50: [W]here a mobile is proceeding along a part of a motorway not having any exits or where the user is on a train, the network controllers and/or base stations on determining this fact avoid reserving channels in those "adjacent" cells which it is predictable that the user will not pass. However . . . the network controllers and/or base stations may form a subset of cells which are aligned with the route to be taken and . . . more than one cell ahead of the path of movement may be reserved)
a prioritized subset of stations (Col. 4, ll. 47-48: [A] subset of cells which are aligned with the route to be taken; col. 2, l. 65 – col. 3, l. 2: [A] mobile follows a particular route from one cell to the next, then those base stations in the cells of each subset not lying on the particular route can assign a low priority to a reservation request whilst the cell(s) of each subset lying on the particular route can assign a high priority to the reservation request; col. 6, ll. 22-24: [T]he network controller or base station to note a user moving rapidly through a succession of cells and if necessary to adjust the processing priorities)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify SHRESTHA’s positioning measurement-based radio resource management procedure to provide formation of a subset of cells as taught by BAILEY which are aligned with the route to be taken, so that more than one cell ahead of the path of movement may be reserved, such that successive handovers can be effected with the minimum of delay. See BAILEY, at col. 4, ll. 47-51).
Regarding claim 41, SHRESTHA discloses:
A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium (device readable medium 1430) comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to perform radio resource management measurements, comprising:
code for receiving with a user equipment positioning assistance data including station location information for a plurality of stations; (¶ 0068: [A] wireless communication network configures a WCD (for example the WCD that performs the method 500) with a downlink reference signal for positioning measurements and an uplink reference signal for backscattering measurements; ¶ 0065: [M]ethod 500 further comprises obtaining 502 positioning measurements for one or more downlink transmissions comprising the downlink reference signal. The WCD may for example perform measurements on the one or more downlink transmissions to obtain measurement values which can be used for estimating a position of the WCD. The positioning measurements may for example comprise a time of arrival (ToA) measurement, and/or an angle of arrival (AoA) measurement, and/or a reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement); ¶ 0071: [M]ethod 600 comprises receiving 602 positioning measurements; ¶ 0034: [M]easurements may be backscattering measurements such as backscattered signal received power to characterize the environment in the UE vicinity; ¶ 0060: [M]ethods 300 and 400 may for example be regarded as a RAN based UE environment mapping scheme; ¶ 0147: Access network 1511 comprises a plurality of base stations 1512 a, 1512 b, 1512 c, such as NBs, eNBs, gNBs or other types of wireless access points, each defining a corresponding coverage area 1513 a, 1513 b, 1513 c)
code for determining, with the user equipment, a current location and a future trajectory of the user equipment; (¶ 0072: [M]ethod 600 comprises estimating 603 a position of the WCD based on the positioning measurements received at step 602; ¶ 0055: [M]ethod 400 may for example comprise estimating a future position or trajectory of the WCD relative to the estimated environment of the WCD)
code for performing, with the user equipment, radio resource management measurements with the prioritized subset of stations, (¶ 0049: [S]tep 404, in which one or more action is performed based on the environment of the WCD estimated at step 403; ¶ 0055: [P]erforming one or more of the following based on the estimated future position or trajectory: scheduling a transmission, or selecting beamforming, or adapting a positioning reference signal configuration. The network node performing the method 400 may for example predict when conditions for radio transmissions to/from the WCD are likely to be good or bad, and may adapt scheduling, beamforming, or positioning reference signal configuration to take this into account; ¶ 0031: UE-assisted methods are leveraged with an opportunity to do the positioning measurements such as Angle of Arrival (AoA), Time of Arrival (ToA), Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), on high bandwidth reference signals that are transmitted by the network or the UE during a positioning occasion. UE-assisted methods may for example include positioning measurements on high bandwidth Downlink (DL) and high bandwidth Uplink (UL) reference signals respectively transmitted by the network within an OTDOA positioning occasion and by the UE within an UTDOA positioning occasion)
SHRESTHA does not explicitly disclose:
code for determining, based at least in part on the positioning assistance data and the future trajectory, a prioritized subset of stations, of the plurality stations, that includes stations of the plurality of stations that are in front of the user equipment and excludes stations of the plurality of stations that are behind the user equipment; and
a prioritized subset of stations
In the same field of endeavor, however, BAILEY teaches:
code for determining, based at least in part on the positioning assistance data and the future trajectory, a prioritized subset of stations, of the plurality stations, that includes stations of the plurality of stations that are in front of the user equipment and excludes stations of the plurality of stations that are behind the user equipment; and (Col. 4, ll. 39-50: [W]here a mobile is proceeding along a part of a motorway not having any exits or where the user is on a train, the network controllers and/or base stations on determining this fact avoid reserving channels in those "adjacent" cells which it is predictable that the user will not pass. However . . . the network controllers and/or base stations may form a subset of cells which are aligned with the route to be taken and . . . more than one cell ahead of the path of movement may be reserved)
a prioritized subset of stations (Col. 4, ll. 47-48: [A] subset of cells which are aligned with the route to be taken; col. 2, l. 65 – col. 3, l. 2: [A] mobile follows a particular route from one cell to the next, then those base stations in the cells of each subset not lying on the particular route can assign a low priority to a reservation request whilst the cell(s) of each subset lying on the particular route can assign a high priority to the reservation request; col. 6, ll. 22-24: [T]he network controller or base station to note a user moving rapidly through a succession of cells and if necessary to adjust the processing priorities)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify SHRESTHA’s positioning measurement-based radio resource management procedure to provide formation of a subset of cells as taught by BAILEY which are aligned with the route to be taken, so that more than one cell ahead of the path of movement may be reserved, such that successive handovers can be effected with the minimum of delay. See BAILEY, at col. 4, ll. 47-51).
Claims 2-5, 8, 10, 21, 23, 24, 31-33, 37, 39, 40, 42, 44, and 45 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over SHRESTHA in view of BAILEY, and further in view of US 2020/0137715 (hereinafter, “EDGE”).
Regarding claim 2, the combination of SHRESTHA and BAILEY, as applied above, renders obvious the method of claim 1. SHRESTHA does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the positioning assistance data is included in one or more broadcast messages.
In the same field of endeavor, however, EDGE teaches:
wherein the positioning assistance data is included in one or more broadcast messages. (¶ 0055: gNBs 110 (e.g. gNB 110-2) and/or ng-eNB 114 in FIG. 1B may be configured to function as positioning-only beacons, which may transmit signals (e.g. PRS signals) and/or may broadcast assistance data to assist positioning of UE 102)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify SHRESTHA’s positioning procedure to provide broadcasting of assistance data as taught by EDGE such that gNBs are configured, in response to receiving a request (e.g. from a UE or LMF) for an increased quantity of location-related information (e.g., a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) and/or location related assistance data), to broadcast the location-related information (e.g. PRS or assistance data) with an increased quantity of resources (e.g., higher bandwidth, longer duration and/or shorter periodicity in the case of PRS). See EDGE, at ¶ 0056.
Regarding claim 3, the combination of SHRESTHA and BAILEY, as applied above, renders obvious the method of claim 1. SHRESTHA does not explicitly disclose:
further comprising
sending a request for positioning assistance data and receiving the positioning assistance data in response to sending the request.
In the same field of endeavor, however, EDGE teaches:
sending a request for positioning assistance data and receiving the positioning assistance data in response to sending the request. (¶ 0056: gNBs 110 and/or ng-eNB 114 (alone or in combination with other modules/units of the communication system 100) may be configured, in response to receiving a request (e.g. from a UE 102 or LMF 120) for an increased quantity of location-related information (e.g., a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) and/or location related assistance data), to transmit or broadcast the location-related information (e.g. PRS or assistance data) with an increased quantity of resources (e.g., higher bandwidth, longer duration and/or shorter periodicity in the case of PRS))
Regarding claim 4, the combination of SHRESTHA and BAILEY, as applied above, renders obvious the method of claim 1. SHRESTHA does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the positioning assistance data is included in one or more radio resource control messages.
In the same field of endeavor, however, EDGE teaches:
wherein the positioning assistance data is included in one or more radio resource control messages. (¶ 0237: At stage 8, the target device 102 reports the DL-PRS measurements to the serving gNB 110-1 in a RRC DL POS MEASUREMENT REPORT message; ¶ 0254: At stage 8, the serving gNB 110-1 forwards the UL-PRS measurements to the target device 102 in a RRC LOCATION MEASUREMENT DELIVERY message. The RRC messages (e.g., stages 5, 8) may just include an OCTET STRING container with parameters defined in LPP (assuming LPP is continued being used for NR positioning))
Regarding claim 5, the combination of SHRESTHA and BAILEY, as applied above, renders obvious the method of claim 1. SHRESTHA does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the positioning assistance data is included in one or more positioning system information blocks.
In the same field of endeavor, however, EDGE teaches:
wherein the positioning assistance data is included in one or more positioning system information blocks. (¶ 0069: [I]nformation could be provided to a UE 102 via periodic broadcast from a gNB 110 (e.g. broadcast in a positioning related SIB))
Regarding claim 8, the combination of SHRESTHA and BAILEY, as applied above, renders obvious the method of claim 1. SHRESTHA does not explicitly disclose:
further comprising:
determining a range and a bearing to each of the plurality of stations based on the station location information and the current location; and
determining the prioritized subset of stations based on the respective ranges and bearings of the plurality of stations relative to the future trajectory.
In the same field of endeavor, however, EDGE teaches:
determining a range and a bearing to each of the plurality of stations based on the station location information and the current location; and (¶ 0094: Once each distance is determined, the UE 102 can then solve for its position (x, y) by using a variety of known geometric techniques, such as, for example, trilateration. From FIG. 4, it can be seen that the position of the UE 102 ideally lies at the intersection of the circles drawn using dotted lines. Each circle being defined by radius dk and center (xk, yk), where k=1, 2, 3. In practice, the intersection of these circles may not lie at a single point due to the noise and other errors in the networking system; ¶ 0105: Each gNB in the UE 102's neighborhood (i.e., within communication range of the UE 102; gNBs 110 in the example of FIG. 6A) receives the report from the UE 102 during the uplink sequence of subframes 614 and decodes it, and also records the arrival time ΔT(i) of the uplink (UL) signals from the UE 102, relative to its own system-time. The RTT may then be computed from the arrival time of the report from the UE 102, combined with timing information in the payload (i.e., the RTT Measurement report))
determining the prioritized subset of stations based on the respective ranges and bearings of the plurality of stations relative to the future trajectory. (¶ 0094: Once each distance is determined, the UE 102 can then solve for its position (x, y) by using a variety of known geometric techniques, such as, for example, trilateration. From FIG. 4, it can be seen that the position of the UE 102 ideally lies at the intersection of the circles drawn using dotted lines. Each circle being defined by radius dk and center (xk, yk), where k=1, 2, 3. In practice, the intersection of these circles may not lie at a single point due to the noise and other errors in the networking system; ¶ 0105: Each gNB in the UE 102's neighborhood (i.e., within communication range of the UE 102; gNBs 110 in the example of FIG. 6A) receives the report from the UE 102 during the uplink sequence of subframes 614 and decodes it, and also records the arrival time ΔT(i) of the uplink (UL) signals from the UE 102, relative to its own system-time. The RTT may then be computed from the arrival time of the report from the UE 102, combined with timing information in the payload (i.e., the RTT Measurement report))
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify SHRESTHA’s positioning procedure to provide geometric positioning estimation as taught by EDGE such that determining the distance between the UE and each gNB involves exploiting time information of the RF signals such that RTT techniques can measure the time between sending a data packet and receiving a response, so that these methods use calibration to remove any processing delays. See EDGE, at ¶ 0095.
Regarding claim 10, the combination of SHRESTHA and BAILEY, as applied above, renders obvious the method of claim 1. SHRESTHA does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the positioning assistance data includes real time delay information for the one or more stations, and the method further comprises:
determining one or more search windows based on the real time delay information; and
performing the radio resource management measurements based at least in part on the one or more search windows.
In the same field of endeavor, however, EDGE teaches:
wherein the positioning assistance data includes real time delay information for the one or more stations, and the method further comprises: (¶ 0147: FIG. 10 illustrates, by way of example, the UE 102 initiating the RTT reference signal transmissions, where the UE 102 measures the total RTT and the gNBs 110 measure and send their respective processing delays to the location server 120. It should be understood, however, that if desired, the gNBs may initiate the RTT reference signal transmissions, where the gNBs 110 measure and send the total RTTs to the location server 120 and the UE 102 measures its processing delay Δ)
determining one or more search windows based on the real time delay information; and (¶ 0121: FIG. 8 also illustrates that any synchronization offset Δ between gNBs does not impact the RTT calculation. It may, however, impact the TOA search window center at a neighbor gNB)
performing the radio resource management measurements based at least in part on the one or more search windows. (¶ 0130: The message may also include a start time when each gNB 110 should expect the UL transmissions from the target UE 102, and/or a search window for the UL measurements (e.g., RTOA or Rx−Tx); ¶ 0131: [An] LPP Provide Assistance Data message . . . includes any required assistance data for the target UE 102 to perform the necessary DL PRS measurements (e.g., cell-IDs, DL-PRS configuration, measurement search window, etc.))
Regarding claim 21, the combination of SHRESTHA and BAILEY, as applied above, renders obvious the method of claim 20. SHRESTHA does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the at least one processor is further configured to send a request for positioning assistance data and receive the positioning assistance data in response to sending the request.
In the same field of endeavor, however, EDGE teaches:
wherein the at least one processor is further configured to send a request for positioning assistance data and receive the positioning assistance data in response to sending the request. (¶ 0056: gNBs 110 and/or ng-eNB 114 (alone or in combination with other modules/units of the communication system 100) may be configured, in response to receiving a request (e.g. from a UE 102 or LMF 120) for an increased quantity of location-related information (e.g., a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) and/or location related assistance data), to transmit or broadcast the location-related information (e.g. PRS or assistance data) with an increased quantity of resources (e.g., higher bandwidth, longer duration and/or shorter periodicity in the case of PRS))
Regarding claim 23, the combination of SHRESTHA and BAILEY, as applied above, renders obvious the method of claim 20. SHRESTHA does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
determine a range and a bearing to each of the plurality of stations based on the station location information and the current location; and
determine the prioritized subset of stations based on the respective ranges and bearings of the plurality of stations relative to the future trajectory.
In the same field of endeavor, however, EDGE teaches:
determine a range and a bearing to each of the plurality of stations based on the station location information and the current location; and
(¶ 0094: Once each distance is determined, the UE 102 can then solve for its position (x, y) by using a variety of known geometric techniques, such as, for example, trilateration. From FIG. 4, it can be seen that the position of the UE 102 ideally lies at the intersection of the circles drawn using dotted lines. Each circle being defined by radius dk and center (xk, yk), where k=1, 2, 3. In practice, the intersection of these circles may not lie at a single point due to the noise and other errors in the networking system; ¶ 0105: Each gNB in the UE 102's neighborhood (i.e., within communication range of the UE 102; gNBs 110 in the example of FIG. 6A) receives the report from the UE 102 during the uplink sequence of subframes 614 and decodes it, and also records the arrival time ΔT(i) of the uplink (UL) signals from the UE 102, relative to its own system-time. The RTT may then be computed from the arrival time of the report from the UE 102, combined with timing information in the payload (i.e., the RTT Measurement report))
determine the prioritized subset of stations based on the respective ranges and bearings of the plurality of stations relative to the future trajectory. (¶ 0094: Once each distance is determined, the UE 102 can then solve for its position (x, y) by using a variety of known geometric techniques, such as, for example, trilateration. From FIG. 4, it can be seen that the position of the UE 102 ideally lies at the intersection of the circles drawn using dotted lines. Each circle being defined by radius dk and center (xk, yk), where k=1, 2, 3. In practice, the intersection of these circles may not lie at a single point due to the noise and other errors in the networking system; ¶ 0105: Each gNB in the UE 102's neighborhood (i.e., within communication range of the UE 102; gNBs 110 in the example of FIG. 6A) receives the report from the UE 102 during the uplink sequence of subframes 614 and decodes it, and also records the arrival time ΔT(i) of the uplink (UL) signals from the UE 102, relative to its own system-time. The RTT may then be computed from the arrival time of the report from the UE 102, combined with timing information in the payload (i.e., the RTT Measurement report))
Regarding claim 24, the combination of SHRESTHA and BAILEY, as applied above, renders obvious the method of claim 20. SHRESTHA does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the positioning assistance data includes real time delay information for the one or more stations, and the at least one processor is further configured to:
determine one or more search windows based on the real time delay information; and
perform the radio resource management measurements based at least in part on the one or more search windows.
In the same field of endeavor, however, EDGE teaches:
wherein the positioning assistance data includes real time delay information for the one or more stations, and the at least one processor is further configured to: (¶ 0147: FIG. 10 illustrates, by way of example, the UE 102 initiating the RTT reference signal transmissions, where the UE 102 measures the total RTT and the gNBs 110 measure and send their respective processing delays to the location server 120. It should be understood, however, that if desired, the gNBs may initiate the RTT reference signal transmissions, where the gNBs 110 measure and send the total RTTs to the location server 120 and the UE 102 measures its processing delay Δ)
determine one or more search windows based on the real time delay information; and (¶ 0121: FIG. 8 also illustrates that any synchronization offset Δ between gNBs does not impact the RTT calculation. It may, however, impact the TOA search window center at a neighbor gNB)
perform the radio resource management measurements based at least in part on the one or more search windows. (¶ 0130: The message may also include a start time when each gNB 110 should expect the UL transmissions from the target UE 102, and/or a search window for the UL measurements (e.g., RTOA or Rx−Tx); ¶ 0131: [An] LPP Provide Assistance Data message . . . includes any required assistance data for the target UE 102 to perform the necessary DL PRS measurements (e.g., cell-IDs, DL-PRS configuration, measurement search window, etc.))
Regarding claim 31, the combination of SHRESTHA and BAILEY, as applied above, renders obvious the method of claim 20. SHRESTHA does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the positioning assistance data is included in one or more broadcast messages.
In the same field of endeavor, however, EDGE teaches:
wherein the positioning assistance data is included in one or more broadcast messages. (¶ 0055: gNBs 110 (e.g. gNB 110-2) and/or ng-eNB 114 in FIG. 1B may be configured to function as positioning-only beacons, which may transmit signals (e.g. PRS signals) and/or may broadcast assistance data to assist positioning of UE 102)
Regarding claim 32, the combination of SHRESTHA and BAILEY, as applied above, renders obvious the method of claim 20. SHRESTHA does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the positioning assistance data is included in one or more radio resource control messages.
In the same field of endeavor, however, EDGE teaches:
wherein the positioning assistance data is included in one or more radio resource control messages. (¶ 0237: At stage 8, the target device 102 reports the DL-PRS measurements to the serving gNB 110-1 in a RRC DL POS MEASUREMENT REPORT message; ¶ 0254: At stage 8, the serving gNB 110-1 forwards the UL-PRS measurements to the target device 102 in a RRC LOCATION MEASUREMENT DELIVERY message. The RRC messages (e.g., stages 5, 8) may just include an OCTET STRING container with parameters defined in LPP (assuming LPP is continued being used for NR positioning))
Regarding claim 33, the combination of SHRESTHA and BAILEY, as applied above, renders obvious the method of claim 20. SHRESTHA does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the positioning assistance data is included in one or more positioning system information blocks.
In the same field of endeavor, however, EDGE teaches:
wherein the positioning assistance data is included in one or more positioning system information blocks. (¶ 0069: [I]nformation could be provided to a UE 102 via periodic broadcast from a gNB 110 (e.g. broadcast in a positioning related SIB)
Regarding claim 37, the combination of SHRESTHA and BAILEY, as applied above, renders obvious the method of claim 36. SHRESTHA does not explicitly disclose:
further comprising
means for sending a request for the positioning assistance data.
In the same field of endeavor, however, EDGE teaches:
means for sending a request for the positioning assistance data. (¶ 0123: [A]t stage 1 in FIG. 9, the AMF 115 requests the location of a target UE 102 (e.g., after AMF 115 receives a request for the location from GMLC 125, from UE 102 or after AMF 115 of an emergency call origination by UE 102))
Regarding claim 39, the combination of SHRESTHA and BAILEY, as applied above, renders obvious the apparatus of claim 36. SHRESTHA does not explicitly disclose:
further comprising:
means for determining a range and a bearing to each of the plurality of stations based on the station location information and the current location; and
means for determining the prioritized subset of stations based on the respective ranges and bearings of the plurality of stations relative to the future trajectory.
In the same field of endeavor, however, EDGE teaches:
means for determining a range and a bearing to each of the plurality of stations based on the station location information and the current location; and (¶ 0094: Once each distance is determined, the UE 102 can then solve for its position (x, y) by using a variety of known geometric techniques, such as, for example, trilateration. From FIG. 4, it can be seen that the position of the UE 102 ideally lies at the intersection of the circles drawn using dotted lines. Each circle being defined by radius dk and center (xk, yk), where k=1, 2, 3. In practice, the intersection of these circles may not lie at a single point due to the noise and other errors in the networking system; ¶ 0105: Each gNB in the UE 102's neighborhood (i.e., within communication range of the UE 102; gNBs 110 in the example of FIG. 6A) receives the report from the UE 102 during the uplink sequence of subframes 614 and decodes it, and also records the arrival time ΔT(i) of the uplink (UL) signals from the UE 102, relative to its own system-time. The RTT may then be computed from the arrival time of the report from the UE 102, combined with timing information in the payload (i.e., the RTT Measurement report))
means for determining the prioritized subset of stations based on the respective ranges and bearings of the plurality of stations relative to the future trajectory. (¶ 0094: Once each distance is determined, the UE 102 can then solve for its position (x, y) by using a variety of known geometric techniques, such as, for example, trilateration. From FIG. 4, it can be seen that the position of the UE 102 ideally lies at the intersection of the circles drawn using dotted lines. Each circle being defined by radius dk and center (xk, yk), where k=1, 2, 3. In practice, the intersection of these circles may not lie at a single point due to the noise and other errors in the networking system; ¶ 0105: Each gNB in the UE 102's neighborhood (i.e., within communication range of the UE 102; gNBs 110 in the example of FIG. 6A) receives the report from the UE 102 during the uplink sequence of subframes 614 and decodes it, and also records the arrival time ΔT(i) of the uplink (UL) signals from the UE 102, relative to its own system-time. The RTT may then be computed from the arrival time of the report from the UE 102, combined with timing information in the payload (i.e., the RTT Measurement report))
Regarding claim 40, the combination of SHRESTHA and BAILEY, as applied above, renders obvious the method of claim 36. SHRESTHA does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the positioning assistance data includes real time delay information for the one or more stations, the apparatus further comprises
means for determining one or more search windows based on the real time delay information, and
the means for performing the radio resource management measurements comprises means for performing the radio resource management measurements based at least in part on the one or more search windows.
In the same field of endeavor, however, EDGE teaches:
wherein the positioning assistance data includes real time delay information for the one or more stations, the apparatus further comprises (¶ 0147: FIG. 10 illustrates, by way of example, the UE 102 initiating the RTT reference signal transmissions, where the UE 102 measures the total RTT and the gNBs 110 measure and send their respective processing delays to the location server 120. It should be understood, however, that if desired, the gNBs may initiate the RTT reference signal transmissions, where the gNBs 110 measure and send the total RTTs to the location server 120 and the UE 102 measures its processing delay Δ)
means for determining one or more search windows based on the real time delay information, and (¶ 0121: FIG. 8 also illustrates that any synchronization offset Δ between gNBs does not impact the RTT calculation. It may, however, impact the TOA search window center at a neighbor gNB)
the means for performing the radio resource management measurements comprises means for performing the radio resource management measurements based at least in part on the one or more search windows. (¶ 0130: The message may also include a start time when each gNB 110 should expect the UL transmissions from the target UE 102, and/or a search window for the UL measurements (e.g., RTOA or Rx−Tx); ¶ 0131: [An] LPP Provide Assistance Data message . . . includes any required assistance data for the target UE 102 to perform the necessary DL PRS measurements (e.g., cell-IDs, DL-PRS configuration, measurement search window, etc.))
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify SHRESTHA’s positioning procedure to provide to the target UE an NRPPa UL PRS Measurement Request message and/or an LPP Provide Assistance Data message as taught by EDGE, such that the message includes all information required to enable the gNBs to perform UL measurements of the UL PRS. See EDGE, at ¶ 0130.
Regarding claim 42, the combination of SHRESTHA and BAILEY, as applied above, renders obvious the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 41. SHRESTHA does not explicitly disclose:
further comprising
code for sending a request for the positioning assistance data.
In the same field of endeavor, however, EDGE teaches:
code for sending a request for the positioning assistance data. (¶ 0123: [A]t stage 1 in FIG. 9, the AMF 115 requests the location of a target UE 102 (e.g., after AMF 115 receives a request for the location from GMLC 125, from UE 102 or after AMF 115 of an emergency call origination by UE 102))
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify SHRESTHA’s positioning procedure to provide sending a request for positioning assistance data as taught by EDGE to provide an increased quantity of location-related information (e.g., a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) and/or location related assistance data), to broadcast the location-related information (e.g. PRS or assistance data) with an increased quantity of resources (e.g., higher bandwidth, longer duration and/or shorter periodicity in the case of PRS). See EDGE, at ¶ 0056.
Regarding claim 44, the combination of SHRESTHA and BAILEY, as applied above, renders obvious the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 41. SHRESTHA does not explicitly disclose:
further comprising:
code for determining a range and a bearing to each of the plurality of stations based on the station location information and the current location; and
code for determining the prioritized subset of stations based on the respective ranges and bearings of the plurality of stations relative to the future trajectory.
In the same field of endeavor, however, EDGE teaches:
code for determining a range and a bearing to each of the plurality of stations based on the station location information and the current location; and (¶ 0094: Once each distance is determined, the UE 102 can then solve for its position (x, y) by using a variety of known geometric techniques, such as, for example, trilateration. From FIG. 4, it can be seen that the position of the UE 102 ideally lies at the intersection of the circles drawn using dotted lines. Each circle being defined by radius dk and center (xk, yk), where k=1, 2, 3. In practice, the intersection of these circles may not lie at a single point due to the noise and other errors in the networking system; ¶ 0105: Each gNB in the UE 102's neighborhood (i.e., within communication range of the UE 102; gNBs 110 in the example of FIG. 6A) receives the report from the UE 102 during the uplink sequence of subframes 614 and decodes it, and also records the arrival time ΔT(i) of the uplink (UL) signals from the UE 102, relative to its own system-time. The RTT may then be computed from the arrival time of the report from the UE 102, combined with timing information in the payload (i.e., the RTT Measurement report))
code for determining the prioritized subset of stations based on the respective ranges and bearings of the plurality of stations relative to the future trajectory. (¶ 0094: Once each distance is determined, the UE 102 can then solve for its position (x, y) by using a variety of known geometric techniques, such as, for example, trilateration. From FIG. 4, it can be seen that the position of the UE 102 ideally lies at the intersection of the circles drawn using dotted lines. Each circle being defined by radius dk and center (xk, yk), where k=1, 2, 3. In practice, the intersection of these circles may not lie at a single point due to the noise and other errors in the networking system; ¶ 0105: Each gNB in the UE 102's neighborhood (i.e., within communication range of the UE 102; gNBs 110 in the example of FIG. 6A) receives the report from the UE 102 during the uplink sequence of subframes 614 and decodes it, and also records the arrival time ΔT(i) of the uplink (UL) signals from the UE 102, relative to its own system-time. The RTT may then be computed from the arrival time of the report from the UE 102, combined with timing information in the payload (i.e., the RTT Measurement report))
Regarding claim 45, the combination of SHRESTHA and BAILEY, as applied above, renders obvious the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 41. SHRESTHA does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the positioning assistance data includes real time delay information for the one or more stations,
the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium further comprises code for determining one or more search windows based on the real time delay information, and
the code for performing the radio resource management measurements comprises code for performing the radio resource management measurements based at least in part on the one or more search windows.
In the same field of endeavor, however, EDGE teaches:
wherein the positioning assistance data includes real time delay information for the one or more stations, (¶ 0147: FIG. 10 illustrates, by way of example, the UE 102 initiating the RTT reference signal transmissions, where the UE 102 measures the total RTT and the gNBs 110 measure and send their respective processing delays to the location server 120. It should be understood, however, that if desired, the gNBs may initiate the RTT reference signal transmissions, where the gNBs 110 measure and send the total RTTs to the location server 120 and the UE 102 measures its processing delay Δ)
the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium further comprises code for determining one or more search windows based on the real time delay information, and (¶ 0121: FIG. 8 also illustrates that any synchronization offset Δ between gNBs does not impact the RTT calculation. It may, however, impact the TOA search window center at a neighbor gNB)
the code for performing the radio resource management measurements comprises code for performing the radio resource management measurements based at least in part on the one or more search windows. (¶ 0130: The message may also include a start time when each gNB 110 should expect the UL transmissions from the target UE 102, and/or a search window for the UL measurements (e.g., RTOA or Rx−Tx); ¶ 0131: [An] LPP Provide Assistance Data message . . . includes any required assistance data for the target UE 102 to perform the necessary DL PRS measurements (e.g., cell-IDs, DL-PRS configuration, measurement search window, etc.))
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify SHRESTHA’s positioning procedure to provide to the target UE an NRPPa UL PRS Measurement Request message and/or an LPP Provide Assistance Data message as taught by EDGE, such that the message includes all information required to enable the gNBs to perform UL measurements of the UL PRS. See EDGE, at ¶ 0130.
Claims 6 and 34 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over SHRESTHA in view of BAILEY, and further in view of US 2019/0319827 (hereinafter, “OPSHAUG”).
Regarding claim 6 and claim 34, the combination of SHRESTHA and BAILEY, as applied above, renders obvious the method of claim 1 and the apparatus of claim 20, respectively. SHRESTHA does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the positioning assistance data is encrypted.
In the same field of endeavor, however, OPSHAUG teaches:
wherein the positioning assistance data is encrypted. (¶ 0031: [M]aking certain properties of a periodically-transmitted reference signal proprietary. More specifically, a base station can adjust times at which the reference signal is transmitted and/or a code with which the signal is encoded. These adjustments may be based on an equation or algorithm, which can be shared with authorized UEs, as needed. Thus, according to embodiments, the equation or algorithm can be encrypted and shared (along with a BSA) with authorized UEs)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify SHRESTHA’s positioning procedure to provide encrypted positioning assistance data as taught by OPSHAUG to provide an encrypted equation or algorithm that can be and shared (along with a BSA) with authorized UEs, such that the equation or algorithm could be updated, as desired, to help ensure BSA information remains protected. See EDGE, at ¶ 0243.
Claims 7, 22, 38, and 43 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over SHRESTHA in view of BAILEY, and further in view of US 2020/0404620 (hereinafter, “SANG”).
Regarding claim 7, the combination of SHRESTHA and BAILEY, as applied above, renders obvious the method of claim 1. SHRESTHA further discloses:
determining one or more tangent lines based on the current location and the future trajectory; (¶ 0055: [M]ethod 400 may for example comprise estimating a future position or trajectory of the WCD relative to the estimated environment of the WCD)
SHRESTHA does not explicitly disclose:
determining the prioritized subset of stations based on the station location information relative to the one or more tangent lines.
In the same field of endeavor, however, SANG teaches:
determining the prioritized subset of stations based on the station location information relative to the one or more tangent lines. (¶ 0324: [T]he MN (e.g., the MN 1106 or the MN 1206) may predict (or determine or select) a set of HF SNs (e.g., in the proximity of the UE), which may be directed to page the UE in HF. . . . [T]he network-side prediction may be performed based on UE-side information, such as UE-side reports about the RF measurements, or UE's mobility velocity or future direction, which may be used to match the network-side RF finger-prints or geo-database of the surrounding HF SNs, or to predict the HF SNs along the future trajectory of the UE movement)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify SHRESTHA’s positioning procedure to provide tracking of a moving UE's location and time information as taught by SANG, such that the MN (master node) may signal to the UE the narrowed-down list of SNs (secondary nodes), rather than a list of all SNs in a TA or RNA of the UE, so as to reduce signaling overhead inside the CN and at a RAN, and thereby avoid activating too many SNs. See SANG, at ¶ 0333.
Regarding claim 22, the combination of SHRESTHA and BAILEY, as applied above, renders obvious the apparatus of claim 20. SHRESTHA further discloses:
wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
determine one or more tangent lines based on the current location and the future trajectory; and (¶ 0055: [M]ethod 400 may for example comprise estimating a future position or trajectory of the WCD relative to the estimated environment of the WCD)
SHRESTHA does not explicitly disclose:
determine the prioritized set of stations based on the station location information relative to the one or more tangent lines.
In the same field of endeavor, however, SANG teaches:
determine one or more tracking stations based on the station location information relative to the one or more tangent lines; and (¶ 0324: [T]he MN (e.g., the MN 1106 or the MN 1206) may predict (or determine or select) a set of HF SNs (e.g., in the proximity of the UE), which may be directed to page the UE in HF. . . . [T]he network-side prediction may be performed based on UE-side information, such as UE-side reports about the RF measurements, or UE's mobility velocity or future direction, which may be used to match the network-side RF finger-prints or geo-database of the surrounding HF SNs, or to predict the HF SNs along the future trajectory of the UE movement)
Regarding claim 38, the combination of SHRESTHA and BAILEY, as applied above, renders obvious the apparatus of claim 36. SHRESTHA further discloses:
further comprising:
means for determining one or more tangent lines based on the current location and the future trajectory; and (¶ 0055: [M]ethod 400 may for example comprise estimating a future position or trajectory of the WCD relative to the estimated environment of the WCD)
SHRESTHA does not explicitly disclose:
means for determining the prioritized subset of stations based on the station location information relative to the one or more tangent lines;
In the same field of endeavor, however, SANG teaches:
means for determine one or more tracking stations based on the station location information relative to the one or more tangent lines; (¶ 0324: [T]he MN (e.g., the MN 1106 or the MN 1206) may predict (or determine or select) a set of HF SNs (e.g., in the proximity of the UE), which may be directed to page the UE in HF. . . . [T]he network-side prediction may be performed based on UE-side information, such as UE-side reports about the RF measurements, or UE's mobility velocity or future direction, which may be used to match the network-side RF finger-prints or geo-database of the surrounding HF SNs, or to predict the HF SNs along the future trajectory of the UE movement)
Regarding claim 43, the combination of SHRESTHA and BAILEY, as applied above, renders obvious the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 41. SHRESTHA further discloses:
further comprising:
code for determining one or more tangent lines based on the current location and the future trajectory; and (¶ 0055: [M]ethod 400 may for example comprise estimating a future position or trajectory of the WCD relative to the estimated environment of the WCD)
SHRESTHA does not explicitly disclose:
code for determining the prioritized subset of stations based on the station location information relative to the one or more tangent lines;
In the same field of endeavor, however, SANG teaches:
code for determining one or more tracking stations based on the station location information relative to the one or more tangent lines; (¶ 0324: [T]he MN (e.g., the MN 1106 or the MN 1206) may predict (or determine or select) a set of HF SNs (e.g., in the proximity of the UE), which may be directed to page the UE in HF. . . . [T]he network-side prediction may be performed based on UE-side information, such as UE-side reports about the RF measurements, or UE's mobility velocity or future direction, which may be used to match the network-side RF finger-prints or geo-database of the surrounding HF SNs, or to predict the HF SNs along the future trajectory of the UE movement)
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the Examiner should be directed to Garth D Richmond whose telephone number is (703)756-4559. The Examiner can normally be reached M-F 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET.
Examiner interviews 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://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the Examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the Examiner’s supervisor, Kathy Wang-Hurst can be reached at 571-270-5371. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GARTH D RICHMOND/Examiner, Art Unit 2644
/KATHY W WANG-HURST/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2644