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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 13-18, filed 10/09/2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-6, 13-16, 19-22, and 25-28 under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) and/or
(a)(2) as being anticipated by US-20250184722-Al to Elshafie et al., from hereon Elshafie have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of US-20240397472-A1 to Li et al.
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 13-18, filed 10/09/2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 7-12, 17, 18, 23, 24, 29, and 30 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being
unpatentable over US-20250184722-A1 to Elshafie et al., from hereon Elshafie in view of WO- 2023049575-Al to Nam et al., from hereon Nam have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of US-20240397472-A1 to Li et al.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 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 text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
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.
Claim(s) 1-6, 13-16, 19-22, and 25-28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US-20250184722-A1 to Elshafie et al., from hereon Elshafie in view of US-20240397472-A1 to Li et al., from hereon Li.
Regarding claim 1 Elshafie teaches…a method of operating a wireless communication device, the method comprising(P. 07 discloses a method performed by UE): engaging in a sidelink positioning procedure with a peer wireless communication device; and transmitting to the peer wireless communication device or receiving from the peer wireless communication device a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) transmission for the sidelink positioning procedure over an SL-PRS resource within a resource pool(P. 127 discloses… UEs would also monitor the resource pool for the PSCCH sent by the UE for the reservation. In accordance with certain aspects of the disclosure, the UE may reserve sidelink resources for transmitting its own sidelink PRS (SL-PRS) and request that other UEs transmit SL-PRS using the sidelink resources reserved by the UE on behalf of the other UEs), the resource pool being dedicated to SL-PRS, the resource pool being defined in frequency allocation units in a frequency domain (P.114 )or in time allocation units in a time domain (P. 114), and the SL-PRS resource being identifiable based on(P. 98 discloses… Each stream may then be mapped to an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time and/or frequency domain, and then combined together using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream):but does not teach… a bandwidth of the SL-PRS resource determined based on a full bandwidth of the resource pool according to a predetermined order of the frequency allocation units, and any combination of: a starting frequency allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource, a time span of the SL-PRS resource, a starting time allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource.
LI teaches… a bandwidth of the SL-PRS resource determined based on a full bandwidth of the resource pool according to a predetermined order of the frequency allocation units (Table 5, discloses the use of the entire bandwidth and allocation according to Time and or Frequency as assigned or allocated on the initial transmission ), and any combination of: a starting frequency allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource (Table 5 discloses index for indicating starting frequency of allocation unit of sidelink resources… The bits number of this field depends on the number of SL-PRS resource configurations for transmission configured by the higher layer parameter. Time offset between SL-PRS transmission and If the transmission of both SL-PRS and SL data are SCI format 1-A (the first SL data resource) triggered SL-PRS frequency resource assignment indicate the number of contiguously allocated sub- channels for each resource and the starting sub-channel indexes of resources ), a time span of the SL-PRS resource, a starting time allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Elshafie by incorporating the teachings of Li because the method and device allow for various modes of configuration of sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) for the services (Li, Abs). The motivation is that by applying a well-known standard or protocol or machine to a system provides the system with significantly improved industrial applicability.
Regarding claim 2 Elshafie and Li teach the method of claim 1, wherein: the frequency allocation units correspond to subchannels (Fig. 7 ), and the bandwidth of the SL-PRS resource is determinable based on: a pre-configured bandwidth stored in a storage of the wireless communication device, a configured bandwidth provided by a network entity(Fig. 13, P. 145 discloses… reservations of sidelink PRS (SL-PRS) configurations in the PSSCH, where each SL-PRS configuration includes the number of symbols, the comb-type, the comb-offset, the number of sub-channels, the sub-channel size, and thus starting resource block. Each such configuration may also indicate the MCS, the CBR, the sensing configuration, and the power control configuration associated with the positioning resources; The resource pools for positioning 1302 may each have their own subcarrier spacing (SCS), bandwidth (BW), and frequency location. Example parameters associated with the resource pools for positioning 1302 are shown at block 1306 and may include transmission (Tx) positioning resource pools for Mode 1 operation, transmission (Tx) positioning resource pools for Mode 2 operation, and receive (Rx) positioning resource pools), or an assigned bandwidth indicated in positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information.
Regarding claim 3 Elshafie and Li teach the method of claim 1, Elshafie teaches…wherein the frequency allocation units correspond to physical resource blocks (PRBs) (Fig. 6P.114 discloses… In the frequency domain, a resource pool is divided into a (pre-)configured number L of contiguous sub-channels 602, where a sub-channel 604 consists of a group of consecutive PRBs in a slot 606. The number Msub of PRBs in a sub-channel corresponds to the sub-channel size, which is (pre-)configured within the resource pool 600. In an aspect, the sub-channel size Msub can be equal to 10, 12, 15, 20, 25, 50, 75, or 100 PRBs. A sub-channel represents the smallest frequency domain unit for a sidelink data transmission or reception. A sidelink transmission can use one or multiple sub-channels), Li teaches…and the bandwidth of the SL-PRS resource is further determined based on: a range from the starting frequency allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource, according to a predetermined order of the PRBs (Table 1, discloses the order the PRB allocated according to a predetermined configuration loaded upon initialization), Elshafie teaches…to an end of the resource pool in the frequency domain, a pre-configured size stored in a storage of the wireless communication device(P. 118 discloses… the slot 606 of a sub-channel only allocates a subset of its consecutive symbols (pre-)configured for sidelink communications. The subset of SL symbols per slot is indicated with a starting symbol and a number of consecutive symbols, where these two parameters are (pre-)configured per the resource pool. The number of consecutive SL symbols can vary between 7 and 14 symbols depending on the physical channels which are carried within a slot), a configured size provided by a network entity, or a comb size provided by the network entity.
Regarding claim 4 Elshafie and Li teach the method of claim 1, Elshafie teaches…wherein: the frequency allocation units correspond to subchannels or physical resource blocks (PRBs) (Fig. 6, P. 115), and the starting frequency allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource is determinable based on: a pre-configured frequency domain location stored in a storage of the wireless communication device, a configured frequency domain location provided by a network entity (P.118 ), a mapping between frequency domain locations and the bandwidth of the SL-PRS resource, an assigned frequency domain location indicated in positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information, or a signaled frequency domain location indicated in a message from the peer wireless communication device that transmit the SL-PRS transmission in a case that the wireless communication device is configured to receive the SL-PRS transmission.
Regarding claim 5 Elshafie and Li teach the of claim 1, Elshafie teaches…wherein: the wireless communication device is configured to transmit the SL-PRS transmission over the SL-PRS resource to the peer wireless communication device (P. 120), and the method further comprises sending a message to the peer wireless communication device, the message indicating a signaled frequency domain location that is the starting frequency allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource (Fig. 15, P. 162).
Regarding claim 6 Elshafie and Li teach the method of claim 5, Elshafie teaches…wherein the message is a first-stage sidelink control information (SCI-1) message (P.112 ).
Regarding claim 13 Elshafie teaches…a wireless communication device, comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to(P.209 discloses… A user equipment (UE), comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to ): engage (note: engaged was interpreted as participating/involved ) in a sidelink positioning procedure with a peer wireless communication device(P. 07 discloses a method performed by UE); and transmit to the peer wireless communication device or receive from the peer wireless communication device, via the at least one transceiver, a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) transmission for the sidelink positioning procedure over an SL-PRS resource within a resource pool(P. 127 discloses… UEs would also monitor the resource pool for the PSCCH sent by the UE for the reservation. In accordance with certain aspects of the disclosure, the UE may reserve sidelink resources for transmitting its own sidelink PRS (SL-PRS) and request that other UEs transmit SL-PRS using the sidelink resources reserved by the UE on behalf of the other UEs), the resource pool being dedicated to SL-PRS, the resource pool being defined in frequency allocation units in a frequency domain or intime allocation units in a time domain, and the SL-PRS resource being identifiable based on(P. 98 discloses… Each stream may then be mapped to an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time and/or frequency domain, and then combined together using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream): but does not teach…a bandwidth of the SL-PRS resource determined based on a full bandwidth of the resource pool according to a predetermined order of the frequency allocation units, and any combination of: a starting frequency allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource, a time span of the SL-PRS resource, a starting time allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource.
Li teaches… a bandwidth of the SL-PRS resource determined based on a full bandwidth of the resource pool according to a predetermined order of the frequency allocation units, (Table 5, discloses the use of the entire bandwidth and allocation according to Time and or Frequency as assigned or allocated on the initial transmission ), and any combination of: a starting frequency allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource (Table 5 discloses index for indicating starting frequency of allocation unit of sidelink resources… The bits number of this field depends on the number of SL-PRS resource configurations for transmission configured by the higher layer parameter. Time offset between SL-PRS transmission and If the transmission of both SL-PRS and SL data are SCI format 1-A (the first SL data resource) triggered SL-PRS frequency resource assignment indicate the number of contiguously allocated sub- channels for each resource and the starting sub-channel indexes of resources ), a time span of the SL-PRS resource, a starting time allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Elshafie by incorporating the teachings of Li because the method and device allow for various modes of configuration of sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) for the services (Li, Abs). The motivation is that by applying a well-known standard or protocol or machine to a system provides the system with significantly improved industrial applicability.
Regarding claim 14 Elshafie and Li teach the wireless communication device of claim 13, Elshafie teaches…wherein: the frequency allocation units correspond to subchannels, and the bandwidth of the SL-PRS resource is determinable based on: a pre-configured bandwidth stored in a storage of the wireless communication device, a configured bandwidth provided by a network entity(Fig. 13, P. 145 discloses… reservations of sidelink PRS (SL-PRS) configurations in the PSSCH, where each SL-PRS configuration includes the number of symbols, the comb-type, the comb-offset, the number of sub-channels, the sub-channel size, and thus starting resource block. Each such configuration may also indicate the MCS, the CBR, the sensing configuration, and the power control configuration associated with the positioning resources; The resource pools for positioning 1302 may each have their own subcarrier spacing (SCS), bandwidth (BW), and frequency location. Example parameters associated with the resource pools for positioning 1302 are shown at block 1306 and may include transmission (Tx) positioning resource pools for Mode 1 operation, transmission (Tx) positioning resource pools for Mode 2 operation, and receive (Rx) positioning resource pools), or an assigned bandwidth indicated in positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information.
Regarding claim 15 Elshafie and Li teach the wireless communication device of claim 13, Elshafie teaches…wherein: the frequency allocation units correspond to physical resource blocks (PRBs) (Fig. 6P.114 discloses… In the frequency domain, a resource pool is divided into a (pre-)configured number L of contiguous sub-channels 602, where a sub-channel 604 consists of a group of consecutive PRBs in a slot 606. The number Msub of PRBs in a sub-channel corresponds to the sub-channel size, which is (pre-)configured within the resource pool 600. In an aspect, the sub-channel size Msub can be equal to 10, 12, 15, 20, 25, 50, 75, or 100 PRBs. A sub-channel represents the smallest frequency domain unit for a sidelink data transmission or reception. A sidelink transmission can use one or multiple sub-channels), and the bandwidth of the SL-PRS resource is further determined based on: a range from the starting frequency allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource (Fig. 6, P. 115), according to a predetermined order of the PRBs, to an end of the resource pool in the frequency domain, a pre-configured size stored in a storage of the wireless communication device, a configured size provided by a network entity(P. 118 discloses… the slot 606 of a sub-channel only allocates a subset of its consecutive symbols (pre-)configured for sidelink communications. The subset of SL symbols per slot is indicated with a starting symbol and a number of consecutive symbols, where these two parameters are (pre-)configured per the resource pool. The number of consecutive SL symbols can vary between 7 and 14 symbols depending on the physical channels which are carried within a slot), a full bandwidth of the resource pool, or a comb size provided by the network entity, or a comb size provided by the network entity.
Regarding claim 16 Elshafie and Li teach the wireless communication device of claim 13, Elshafie teaches…wherein: the frequency allocation units correspond to subchannels or physical resource blocks (PRBs) (Fig. 6, P 115), and the starting frequency allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource is determinable based on: a pre-configured frequency domain location stored in a storage of the wireless communication device, a configured frequency domain location provided by a network entity (P.118 ), a mapping between frequency domain locations and the bandwidth of the SL-PRS resource, an assigned frequency domain location indicated in positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information, or a signaled frequency domain location indicated in a message from the peer wireless communication device that transmit the SL-PRS transmission in a case that the wireless communication device is configured to receive the SL-PRS transmission.
Regarding claim 19 Elshafie teaches…a wireless communication device(P. 209 discloses… A user equipment (UE), comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to ), comprising: means for engaging note: engaged was interpreted as participating/involved )in a sidelink positioning procedure with a peer wireless communication device(P. 07 discloses a method performed by UE); and means for transmitting to the peer wireless communication device or receiving from the peer wireless communication device a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) transmission for the sidelink positioning procedure over an SL-PRS resource within a resource pool(P. 127 discloses… UEs would also monitor the resource pool for the PSCCH sent by the UE for the reservation. In accordance with certain aspects of the disclosure, the UE may reserve sidelink resources for transmitting its own sidelink PRS (SL-PRS) and request that other UEs transmit SL-PRS using the sidelink resources reserved by the UE on behalf of the other UEs), the resource pool being dedicated to SL-PRS, the resource pool being defined in frequency allocation units in a frequency domain or in time allocation units in a time domain, and the SL- PRS resource being identifiable based on(P. 98 discloses… Each stream may then be mapped to an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time and/or frequency domain, and then combined together using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream): but does not teach…a bandwidth of the SL-PRS resource determined based on a full bandwidth of the resource pool according to a predetermined order of the frequency allocation units, and any combination of: a starting frequency allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource, a time span of the SL-PRS resource, a starting time allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource.
Li teaches… a bandwidth of the SL-PRS resource determined based on a full bandwidth of the resource pool according to a predetermined order of the frequency allocation units, (Table 5, discloses the use of the entire bandwidth and allocation according to Time and or Frequency as assigned or allocated on the initial transmission ), and any combination of: a starting frequency allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource (Table 5 discloses index for indicating starting frequency of allocation unit of sidelink resources… The bits number of this field depends on the number of SL-PRS resource configurations for transmission configured by the higher layer parameter. Time offset between SL-PRS transmission and If the transmission of both SL-PRS and SL data are SCI format 1-A (the first SL data resource) triggered SL-PRS frequency resource assignment indicate the number of contiguously allocated sub- channels for each resource and the starting sub-channel indexes of resources ), a time span of the SL-PRS resource, a starting time allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Elshafie by incorporating the teachings of Li because the method and device allow for various modes of configuration of sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) for the services (Li, Abs). The motivation is that by applying a well-known standard or protocol or machine to a system provides the system with significantly improved industrial applicability.
Regarding claim 20 Elshafie and Li teach the wireless communication device of claim 19, Elshafie teaches…wherein: the frequency allocation units correspond to subchannels, and the bandwidth of the SL-PRS resource is determinable based on: a pre-configured bandwidth stored in a storage of the wireless communication device, a configured bandwidth provided by a network entity(Fig. 13, P. 145 discloses… reservations of sidelink PRS (SL-PRS) configurations in the PSSCH, where each SL-PRS configuration includes the number of symbols, the comb-type, the comb-offset, the number of sub-channels, the sub-channel size, and thus starting resource block. Each such configuration may also indicate the MCS, the CBR, the sensing configuration, and the power control configuration associated with the positioning resources; The resource pools for positioning 1302 may each have their own subcarrier spacing (SCS), bandwidth (BW), and frequency location. Example parameters associated with the resource pools for positioning 1302 are shown at block 1306 and may include transmission (Tx) positioning resource pools for Mode 1 operation, transmission (Tx) positioning resource pools for Mode 2 operation, and receive (Rx) positioning resource pools), or an assigned bandwidth indicated in positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information.
Regarding claim 21 Elshafie and Li teach the wireless communication device of claim 19, Elshafie teaches…wherein: the frequency allocation units correspond to physical resource blocks (PRBs) (Fig. 6P.114 discloses… In the frequency domain, a resource pool is divided into a (pre-)configured number L of contiguous sub-channels 602, where a sub-channel 604 consists of a group of consecutive PRBs in a slot 606. The number Msub of PRBs in a sub-channel corresponds to the sub-channel size, which is (pre-)configured within the resource pool 600. In an aspect, the sub-channel size Msub can be equal to 10, 12, 15, 20, 25, 50, 75, or 100 PRBs. A sub-channel represents the smallest frequency domain unit for a sidelink data transmission or reception. A sidelink transmission can use one or multiple sub-channels), and the bandwidth of the SL-PRS resource is further determined based on: a range from the starting frequency allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource (Fig. 6, P. 115), according to a predetermined order of the PRBs, to an end of the resource pool in the frequency domain, a pre-configured size stored in a storage of the wireless communication device, a configured size provided by a network entity, or a comb size provided by the network entity.
Regarding claim 22 Elshafie and Li teach the wireless communication device of claim 19, wherein: the frequency allocation units correspond to subchannels or physical resource blocks (PRBs) (Fig. 6, P. 115), and the starting frequency allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource is determinable based on: a pre-configured frequency domain location stored in a storage of the wireless communication device, a configured frequency domain location provided by a network entity (P.118 ), a mapping between frequency domain locations and the bandwidth of the SL-PRS resource, an assigned frequency domain location indicated in positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information, or a signaled frequency domain location indicated in a message from the peer wireless communication device that transmit the SL-PRS transmission in a case that the wireless communication device is configured to receive the SL-PRS transmission.
Regarding claim 25 Elshafie teaches…a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer- executable instructions that, when executed by a wireless communication device, cause the wireless communication device to(P. 259 discloses… A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive a plurality of transport blocks on a physical sidelink shared channel): engage (note: engaged was interpreted as participating/involved ) in a sidelink positioning procedure with a peer wireless communication device; and transmit to the peer wireless communication device or receive from the peer wireless communication device a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) transmission for the sidelink positioning procedure over an SL-PRS resource within a resource pool (P. 127 discloses… UEs would also monitor the resource pool for the PSCCH sent by the UE for the reservation. In accordance with certain aspects of the disclosure, the UE may reserve sidelink resources for transmitting its own sidelink PRS (SL-PRS) and request that other UEs transmit SL-PRS using the sidelink resources reserved by the UE on behalf of the other UEs), the resource pool being dedicated to SL-PRS, the resource pool being defined in frequency allocation units in a frequency domain or in time allocation units in a time domain, and the SL-PRS resource being identifiable based on(P. 98 discloses… Each stream may then be mapped to an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time and/or frequency domain, and then combined together using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream):but do not teach… a bandwidth of the SL-PRS resource determined based on a full bandwidth of the resource pool according to a predetermined order of the frequency allocation units, and any combination of: a starting frequency allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource, a time span of the SL-PRS resource, a starting time allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource.
Li teaches… a bandwidth of the SL-PRS resource determined based on a full bandwidth of the resource pool according to a predetermined order of the frequency allocation units, (Table 5, discloses the use of the entire bandwidth and allocation according to Time and or Frequency as assigned or allocated on the initial transmission ), and any combination of: a starting frequency allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource (Table 5 discloses index for indicating starting frequency of allocation unit of sidelink resources… The bits number of this field depends on the number of SL-PRS resource configurations for transmission configured by the higher layer parameter. Time offset between SL-PRS transmission and If the transmission of both SL-PRS and SL data are SCI format 1-A (the first SL data resource) triggered SL-PRS frequency resource assignment indicate the number of contiguously allocated sub- channels for each resource and the starting sub-channel indexes of resources ), a time span of the SL-PRS resource, a starting time allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Elshafie by incorporating the teachings of Li because the method and device allow for various modes of configuration of sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) for the services (Li, Abs). The motivation is that by applying a well-known standard or protocol or machine to a system provides the system with significantly improved industrial applicability.
Regarding claim 26 Elshafie and Li teach the non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein: the frequency allocation units correspond to subchannels (Fig. 7), and the bandwidth of the SL-PRS resource is determinable based on: a pre-configured bandwidth stored in a storage of the wireless communication device, a configured bandwidth provided by a network entity(Fig. 13, P. 145 discloses… reservations of sidelink PRS (SL-PRS) configurations in the PSSCH, where each SL-PRS configuration includes the number of symbols, the comb-type, the comb-offset, the number of sub-channels, the sub-channel size, and thus starting resource block. Each such configuration may also indicate the MCS, the CBR, the sensing configuration, and the power control configuration associated with the positioning resources; The resource pools for positioning 1302 may each have their own subcarrier spacing (SCS), bandwidth (BW), and frequency location. Example parameters associated with the resource pools for positioning 1302 are shown at block 1306 and may include transmission (Tx) positioning resource pools for Mode 1 operation, transmission (Tx) positioning resource pools for Mode 2 operation, and receive (Rx) positioning resource pools), or an assigned bandwidth indicated in positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information.
Regarding claim 27 Elshafie and Li teach the non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, Elshafie teaches…wherein: the frequency allocation units correspond to physical resource blocks (PRBs) (Fig. 6P.114 discloses… In the frequency domain, a resource pool is divided into a (pre-)configured number L of contiguous sub-channels 602, where a sub-channel 604 consists of a group of consecutive PRBs in a slot 606. The number Msub of PRBs in a sub-channel corresponds to the sub-channel size, which is (pre-)configured within the resource pool 600. In an aspect, the sub-channel size Msub can be equal to 10, 12, 15, 20, 25, 50, 75, or 100 PRBs. A sub-channel represents the smallest frequency domain unit for a sidelink data transmission or reception. A sidelink transmission can use one or multiple sub-channels),, and the bandwidth of the SL-PRS resource is further determined based on: a range from the starting frequency allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource, according to a predetermined order of the PRBs, to an end of the resource pool in the frequency domain (Fig. 6. P. 115), a pre-configured size stored in a storage of the wireless communication device, a configured size provided by a network entity(P. 118 discloses… the slot 606 of a sub-channel only allocates a subset of its consecutive symbols (pre-)configured for sidelink communications. The subset of SL symbols per slot is indicated with a starting symbol and a number of consecutive symbols, where these two parameters are (pre-)configured per the resource pool. The number of consecutive SL symbols can vary between 7 and 14 symbols depending on the physical channels which are carried within a slot), or a comb size provided by the network entity.
Regarding claim 28 Elshafie and Li teach the non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, Elshafie teaches…wherein: the frequency allocation units correspond to subchannels or physical resource blocks (PRBs) (Fig. 6, P. 115), and the starting frequency allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource is determinable based on: a pre-configured frequency domain location stored in a storage of the wireless communication device, a configured frequency domain location provided by a network entity (P. 118), a mapping between frequency domain locations and the bandwidth of the SL-PRS resource, an assigned frequency domain location indicated in positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information, or a signaled frequency domain location indicated in a message from the peer wireless communication device that transmit the SL-PRS transmission in a case that the wireless communication device is configured to receive the SL-PRS transmission.
Claim(s) 7-12, 17, 18, 23, 24, 29, and 30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US-20250184722-A1 to Elshafie et al., from hereon Elshafie and US-20240397472-A1 to Li et al., from hereon Li in view of WO-2023049575-A1 to Nam et al., from hereon Nam.
Regarding claim 7 Elshafie and Li teach the method of claim 1, Elshafie teaches…wherein: the time allocation units correspond to slots or symbols, and the time span of the SL-PRS resource is determinable based on (P.98, Lns 8-18 ): a pre-configured time span stored in a storage of the wireless communication device (Fig. 14, P. 114) but do not teach…, a configured time span provided by a network entity, or an assigned time span indicated in positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information.
Nam teaches…, a configured time span provided by a network entity (P.81 ), or an assigned time span indicated in positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information (P.80 ).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Elshafie and Li by incorporating the teachings of Nam because the method and device allow for various modes of configuration multiplexed sidelink positioning reference signal for configuration of transmit and receive resources in frequency and time domain (Nam, Abs). The motivation is that by applying a well-known standard or protocol or machine to a system provides the system with significantly improved industrial applicability.
Regarding claim 8 Elshafie and Li teach the method of claim 1, but do not teach…wherein: the time allocation units correspond to slots or symbols, and the starting time allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource is determinable based on: an assigned time domain location indicated in positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information, or a signaled time domain location indicated in a message from the peer wireless communication device that transmit the SL-PRS transmission in a case that the wireless communication device is configured to receive the SL-PRS transmission.
Nam teaches… wherein: the time allocation units correspond to slots or symbols (P.115 ), and the starting time allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource is determinable based on: an assigned time domain location indicated in positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information (P. 147), or a signaled time domain location indicated in a message from the peer wireless communication device that transmit the SL-PRS transmission in a case that the wireless communication device is configured to receive the SL-PRS transmission.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Elshafie and Li by incorporating the teachings of Nam because the method and device allow for various modes of configuration multiplexed sidelink positioning reference signal for configuration of transmit and receive resources in frequency and time domain (Nam, Abs). The motivation is that by applying a well-known standard or protocol or machine to a system provides the system with significantly improved industrial applicability.
Regarding claim 9 Elshafie and Li teach the method of claim 1, but do not teach…wherein: the wireless communication device is configured to transmit the SL-PRS transmission over the SL-PRS resource to the peer wireless communication device, and the method further comprises sending a message to the peer wireless communication device, the message indicating a signaled time domain location that is the starting time allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource.
Nam teaches… wherein: the wireless communication device is configured to transmit the SL-PRS transmission over the SL-PRS resource to the peer wireless communication device, and the method further comprises sending a message to the peer wireless communication device, the message indicating a signaled time domain location that is the starting time allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource(P.85 discloses… the bandwidth of the sidelink control block 225 may be fixed (e.g., one sub-channel) and/or (pre)configured. The FDRA (e.g., the starting sub-channel and the number of allocated sub-channel(s)) may be indicated in SCI-1 and/or SCI-2 in the sidelink control block 225. In some examples, the sidelink control block 225 may carry or otherwise convey an indication that the slot (e.g., the offset between the sidelink control block 225 and SL-PRS burst 230) and bandwidth of the SL-PRS burst 230 (e.g., the TDRA, FDRA, etc., for the SL-PRS burst 230) ).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Elshafie and Li by incorporating the teachings of Nam because the method and device allow for various modes of configuration multiplexed sidelink positioning reference signal for configuration of transmit and receive resources in frequency and time domain (Nam, Abs). The motivation is that by applying a well-known standard or protocol or machine to a system provides the system with significantly improved industrial applicability.
Regarding claim 10 Elshafie and Li teach the method of claim 9, Nam teaches…wherein the message is a first-stage sidelink control information (SCI-1) message (P.85 ).
Regarding claim 11 Elshafie and Li teach the method of claim 1, but do not teach…wherein: the time allocation units correspond to slots, and the resource pool is further defined in the time domain as a subset of symbols within each slot based on: a starting symbol within each slot.
Nam teaches… wherein: the time allocation units correspond to slots, and the resource pool is further defined in the time domain as a subset of symbols within each slot based on: a starting symbol within each slot(P. 85).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Elshafie and li by incorporating the teachings of Nam because the method and device allow for various modes of configuration multiplexed sidelink positioning reference signal for configuration of transmit and receive resources in frequency and time domain (Nam, Abs). The motivation is that by applying a well-known standard or protocol or machine to a system provides the system with significantly improved industrial applicability.
Regarding claim 12 Elshafie, Li, and Nam teach the method of claim 11, Nam teaches…wherein the resource pool is further defined in the time domain as the subset of symbols within each slot based on: a number of consecutive symbols within each slot (P.96 and 103 ).
Regarding claim 17 Elshafie and Li teach the wireless communication device of claim 13, but do not teach… wherein: the time allocation units correspond to slots or symbols, and the time span of the SL-PRS resource is determinable based on: a pre-configured time span stored in a storage of the wireless communication device, a configured time span provided by a network entity, or an assigned time span indicated in positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information.
Nam teaches… wherein: the time allocation units correspond to slots or symbols, and the time span of the SL-PRS resource is determinable based on: a pre-configured time span stored in a storage of the wireless communication device, a configured time span provided by a network entity (P.81 ), or an assigned time span indicated in positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information (P.80 ).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Elshafie and Li by incorporating the teachings of Nam because the method and device allow for various modes of configuration multiplexed sidelink positioning reference signal for configuration of transmit and receive resources in frequency and time domain (Nam, Abs). The motivation is that by applying a well-known standard or protocol or machine to a system provides the system with significantly improved industrial applicability.
Regarding claim 18 Elshafie and Li teach the wireless communication device of claim 13, but not teach…wherein: the time allocation units correspond to slots or symbols, and the starting time allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource is determinable based on: an assigned time domain location indicated in positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information, or a signaled time domain location indicated in a message from the peer wireless communication device that transmit the SL-PRS transmission in a case that the wireless communication device is configured to receive the SL-PRS transmission.
Nam teaches… wherein: the time allocation units correspond to slots or symbols (P.115 ), and the starting time allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource is determinable based on: an assigned time domain location indicated in positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information (P. 147), or a signaled time domain location indicated in a message from the peer wireless communication device that transmit the SL-PRS transmission in a case that the wireless communication device is configured to receive the SL-PRS transmission.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Elshafie and Li by incorporating the teachings of Nam because the method and device allow for various modes of configuration multiplexed sidelink positioning reference signal for configuration of transmit and receive resources in frequency and time domain (Nam, Abs). The motivation is that by applying a well-known standard or protocol or machine to a system provides the system with significantly improved industrial applicability.
Regarding claim 23 Elshafie and Li teach the wireless communication device of claim 19, but wherein :the time allocation units correspond to slots or symbols, and the time span of the SL-PRS resource is determinable based on: a pre-configured time span stored in a storage of the wireless communication device, a configured time span provided by a network entity, or an assigned time span indicated in positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information.
Nam teaches… wherein: the time allocation units correspond to slots or symbols (P.115 ), and the time span of the SL-PRS resource is determinable based on: a pre-configured time span stored in a storage of the wireless communication device, a configured time span provided by a network entity (P. 147), or an assigned time span indicated in positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Elshafie and Li by incorporating the teachings of Nam because the method and device allow for various modes of configuration multiplexed sidelink positioning reference signal for configuration of transmit and receive resources in frequency and time domain (Nam, Abs). The motivation is that by applying a well-known standard or protocol or machine to a system provides the system with significantly improved industrial applicability.
Regarding claim 24 Elshafie and Li teach the wireless communication device of claim 19, but do not teach…wherein: the time allocation units correspond to slots or symbols, and the starting time allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource is determinable based on: an assigned time domain location indicated in positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information, or a signaled time domain location indicated in a message from the peer wireless communication device that transmit the SL-PRS transmission in a case that the wireless communication device is configured to receive the SL-PRS transmission.
Nam teaches… wherein: the time allocation units correspond to slots or symbols, and the starting time allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource is determinable based on: an assigned time domain location indicated in positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information (P.81 ), or a signaled time domain location indicated in a message from the peer wireless communication device that transmit the SL-PRS transmission in a case that the wireless communication device is configured to receive the SL-PRS transmission.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Elshafie and Li by incorporating the teachings of Nam because the method and device allow for various modes of configuration multiplexed sidelink positioning reference signal for configuration of transmit and receive resources in frequency and time domain (Nam, Abs). The motivation is that by applying a well-known standard or protocol or machine to a system provides the system with significantly improved industrial applicability.
Regarding claim 29 Elshafie and Li teach the non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, but do not teach…wherein: the time allocation units correspond to slots or symbols, and the time span of the SL-PRS resource is determinable based on: a pre-configured time span stored in a storage of the wireless communication device, a configured time span provided by a network entity, or an assigned time span indicated in positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information.
Nam teaches… wherein: the time allocation units correspond to slots or symbols, and the time span of the SL-PRS resource is determinable based on (P. 98, Lns. 8-18): a pre-configured time span stored in a storage of the wireless communication device (Fig. 14, P. 114), a configured time span provided by a network entity (P. 81), or an assigned time span indicated in positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information (P. 80).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Elshafie and Li by incorporating the teachings of Nam because the method and device allow for various modes of configuration multiplexed sidelink positioning reference signal for configuration of transmit and receive resources in frequency and time domain (Nam, Abs). The motivation is that by applying a well-known standard or protocol or machine to a system provides the system with significantly improved industrial applicability.
Regarding claim 30 Elshafie and Li teach the non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, but do not teach…wherein: the time allocation units correspond to slots or symbols, and the starting time allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource is determinable based on: an assigned time domain location indicated in positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information, or a signaled time domain location indicated in a message from the peer wireless communication device that transmit the SL-PRS transmission in a case that the wireless communication device is configured to receive the SL-PRS transmission.
Nam teaches… wherein: the time allocation units correspond to slots or symbols (P. 115), and the starting time allocation unit of the SL-PRS resource is determinable based on: an assigned time domain location indicated in positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information (P. 147), or a signaled time domain location indicated in a message from the peer wireless communication device that transmit the SL-PRS transmission in a case that the wireless communication device is configured to receive the SL-PRS transmission.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Elshafie and Li by incorporating the teachings of Nam because the method and device allow for various modes of configuration multiplexed sidelink positioning reference signal for configuration of transmit and receive resources in frequency and time domain (Nam, Abs). The motivation is that by applying a well-known standard or protocol or machine to a system provides the system with significantly improved industrial applicability.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO form PTO-892: US-20250142292-A1 to Hoang, US-20240276428-A1 to Keating, KR-20230161964-A to Bao, WO-2023049551-A1 to Wu disclose SL-PRS procedures via peer UE's and US-20230171750-A1 to Lee.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. 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 nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/L.S./Examiner, Art Unit 2476
/AYAZ R SHEIKH/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2476