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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Response to Arguments
1. Applicant's arguments, filed on 11/24/2025 with respect to claims 1-10 and 12-30 in the remarks have been fully considered and not persuasive.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
2. A. Regarding claim 24 (similarly, claim 35), the Applicant argues that Thomas fails to teach or suggest the claimed limitations of:
“ receiving a request location information message from the network entity, the request location information message including a measurement period during which the UE is expected to perform one or more positioning measurements, wherein a length of the measurement period is based on whether the one or more positioning measurements include a velocity-based measurement or only time-based measurements, signal strength-based measurements, or both”.
However, the Examiner maintains that Thomas discloses the claimed limitations of:
“receiving a request location information message from the network entity, the request location information message including a measurement period during which the UE is expected to perform one or more positioning measurements, wherein a length of the measurement period is based on whether the one or more positioning measurements include a velocity-based measurement or only time-based measurements, signal strength-based measurements, or both” (= remote unit 105 receives a positioning measurement configuration from LMF 144 including a positioning processing timeline for the remote unit 105, see [0078]; UE-assisted positioning involves signaling exchanges among the serving gNB, target-UE and finally LMF, in determining the location estimate, see [0171] parameter 604 defines the duration between the UE receiving the RequestLocationInformation message, see [0174]; and parameter 602 defines duration between the UE receiving the DL-PRS configuration and receiving the RequestLocationInformation message containing the measurement configuration including measurements and number to be reported, see [0173, 0215, 0246 and 0292])
Therefore, Thomas is proper and the Office Action is being made FINAL as shown below.
B. The rejection of all the dependent claims, by virtue of their dependency from the independent claims, is also being made Final.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
3. In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 24-33 and 35 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Thomas et al., (US 2023/0345408), (hereinafter, Thomas).
Regarding claims 24 and 35, Thomas discloses a method of wireless positioning performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising:
receiving a location assistance data message from a network entity
(= transmission of PRS enables UE 205 to perform positioning related measurements, see [0097]);
receiving a request location information message from the network entity, the request location information message including a measurement period during which the UE is expected to perform one or more positioning measurements, wherein a length of the measurement period is based on whether the one or more positioning measurements include a velocity-based measurement or only time-based measurements, signal strength-based measurements, or both measurements (= remote unit 105 receives a positioning measurement configuration from LMF 144 including a positioning processing timeline for the remote unit 105, see [0078]; UE-assisted positioning involves signaling exchanges among the serving gNB, target-UE and finally LMF, in determining the location estimate, see [0171] parameter 604 defines the duration between the UE receiving the RequestLocationInformation message, see [0174]; and parameter 602 defines duration between the UE receiving the DL-PRS configuration and receiving the RequestLocationInformation message containing the measurement configuration including measurements and number to be reported, see [0173, 0215, 0246 and 0292]); and
performing the one or more positioning measurements of one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources on a first positioning frequency layer during the measurement period(= for a target UE, PRS processing unit (PPU) is proposed such that the processing capability for the UE could be defined in terms of number of PPUs it could support for a given symbol to process the PRS measurement, see [0206 and 0128]; and a mechanism for UE to provision UL resources for transmitting positioning measurement report (s) within a defined period to the LMF 144, see [0208 and 0219]).
Regarding claim 25 as mentioned in claim 24, Thomas discloses the method , wherein the one or more positioning measurements include at least the velocity-based measurement (see, [0101, 0106 and 0108]).
Regarding claim 26 as mentioned in claim 25, Thomas discloses the method , wherein the velocity-based measurement comprises a Doppler measurement or a velocity measurement (see, [0101, 0106 and 0108]).
Regarding claim 27 as mentioned in claim 24, Thomas discloses the method , wherein a minimum number of samples for the one or more positioning measurements is based on whether the one or more positioning measurements include the velocity-based measurement (see, [0101, 0106 and 0108]).
Regarding claim 28 as mentioned in claim 24, Thomas discloses the method further comprising: reporting a first PRS processing capability for time-based measurements, signal strength-based measurements, or both; and reporting a second PRS processing capability for velocity-based measurements (see, [0097 and 0108]).
Regarding claim 29 as mentioned in claim 28, Thomas discloses the method wherein: the first PRS processing capability indicates a number of time-based measurements, signal strength-based measurements, or both that the UE can process in a given time period, and the second PRS processing capability indicates a number of velocity-based measurements that the UE can process in the given time period (see, [0088 and 0108]).
Regarding claim 30 as mentioned in claim 28, Thomas discloses the method wherein the second PRS processing capability includes a capability of the UE to process time-based measurements, signal strength-based measurements, or both (see, [0088 and 0108]).
Regarding claim 31 as mentioned in claim 24, Thomas discloses the method further comprising: reporting the one or more positioning measurements to the network entity.
(see, [0282 and 0289]).
Regarding claim 32 as mentioned in claim 24, Thomas discloses the method wherein: the network entity is a location server, and the location assistance data message and the request location information message are Long-Term Evolution (LTE) positioning protocol (LPP) messages (see, [0295]).
Regarding claim 33 as mentioned in claim 24, Thomas discloses the method wherein: the network entity is a serving base station, and the location assistance data message and the request location information message are radio resource control (RRC) messages (see, [0175 and 0145]).
Allowable Subject Matter
4. Claims 1-10, 12-23 and 34 are allowable.
CONCLUSION
5. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of 33the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Kwasi Karikari whose telephone number is
571-272-8566.The examiner can normally be reached on M-Frid (8am – 4pm).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Charles Appiah can be reached on 571-272-7904.
The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8566.
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/Kwasi Karikari/
Primary Examiner: Art Unit 2641.