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 Amendment (17860879)
This is in response to an amendment/response filed 12/17/2025.
No claims have been cancelled.
No claims have been added.
Claims 1-20 are now pending.
Applicant’s amendments to the Abstract have overcome each and every objection previously set forth in the Non-Final Office Action mailed 9/17/2025.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/17/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
On page 15-18 of the remarks, in regard to the independent claims, the Applicant disagrees with the rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al. US 20230096178 (hereinafter “Wu”) in view of Si et al. US 20250048322 (hereinafter “Si”)
Specifically, the Applicant remarks:
Si seems to be silent as to determining the plurality of candidate frequency resources associated with the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources is based on at least one of: one or more parameters associated with the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources; one or more indexes associated with the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources; or one or more identities associated with the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources. Si does not seem to provide for using parameters, indexes and/or identities to determine candidate frequency resources.
The Examiner respectfully disagrees.
Regarding (1), Si teaches "using parameters, indexes and/or identities to determine candidate frequency resources". In [0112-0123], Si mentions that the SL PRS configuration information includes parameters such as "time domain position", "frequency domain position", "SL PRS bandwidth", "SL PRS time-frequency resource pattern", and "sequence identifier" which are all parameters or identities of candidate sidelink RS resources. The UE uses this information to derive which frequency resources are available for SL PRS.
On page 18 of the remarks, in regard to the dependent claims, the Applicant states that the claims are allowable at least due to the deficiencies of the ground of rejection applied to the independent claims.
The Examiner respectfully disagrees.
The Examiner kindly refer the Applicant to the reasoning pertaining to the independent claims, detailed above.
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.
Claim(s) 1-13 and 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al. US 20230096178 (hereinafter “Wu”) in view of Si et al. US 20250048322 (hereinafter “Si”)
As to claim 1, 17, and 19 (claim 1 is the method claim for the device in claim 17 and non-transitory machine readable medium in claim 19):
Wu discloses:
A method of a device with a configuration of a first sidelink resource pool comprising sidelink reference signal resources, the method comprising: (“Other types of messages, which may be utilized to convey data associated with SL-PRS operation/configuration are within the scope of the disclosure. The position of the object identified as the SL-PRS resource reservation message 516 within the SL communication resource pool 510b, and the shape of the object identified as the SL-PRS resource reservation message 516 within the SL communication resource pool 510b are for explanatory and non-limiting purposes.”, Wu [0097])
determining a plurality of candidate frequency resources of a sidelink control channel in a slot in the first sidelink resource pool, wherein: the plurality of candidate frequency resources is associated with a plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources in the slot; (“In a second example, a first UE may reserve resources (i.e., frequency-time resources within a SL-PRS resource pool) for itself and a second UE. FIG. 8B depicts such an example. The frequency-time resources may be scheduled such that the first UE and the second UE transmit their respective SL-PRSs in the same slot at different times. For example, the first UE may reserve resources within the SL-PRS resource pool in one slot for both itself and the second UE.”, Wu [0108])
receiving a sidelink control information (SCI) using a first frequency resource of the sidelink control channel in the slot, wherein the plurality of candidate frequency resources comprises the first frequency resource of the sidelink control channel; (“In an example of sidelink communication over a sidelink carrier via a PC5 interface, the control region 212 of the slot 210 may include a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) including sidelink control information (SCI) transmitted by an initiating (transmitting) sidelink device (e.g., Tx V2X device or other Tx UE) towards a set of one or more other receiving sidelink devices (e.g., Rx V2X device or other Rx UE). The data region 214 of the slot 210 may include a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) including sidelink data traffic transmitted by the initiating (transmitting) sidelink device within resources reserved over the sidelink carrier by the transmitting sidelink device via the SCI.”, Wu [0063])
and measuring a sidelink reference signal on a first sidelink reference signal resource in the slot, (“At 918, UE-1 902 may receive a first SL-PRS from UE-2 904a. The first SL-PRS may be transmitted in resources within the SL-PRS resource pool that were reserved by UE-2 904a at 906.”, Wu [0132]) (“Turning to FIG. 8B, by way of context, the resource grid 801 may be a snapshot of resources that a first UE (UE-1) had reserved for its use and the use of a second UE (UE-2). UE-1 is distinct from UE-2. UE-1 had reserved the first half of usable symbols (e.g., OFDM symbols 0-5) for transmission of its SL-PRS and reserved the second half of usable symbols (e.g., OFDM symbols 6-11) for transmission of the SL-PRS of UE-2. For the first half of the slot, UE-1 is a Tx UE and UE-2 is a Rx UE. For the second half of the slot, UE-1 is a Rx UE and UE-2 is a Tx UE. The transmissions of the respective UE's are back-o-back in the slot.”, Wu [0121]) (“At 924, UE-2 904a may transmit a first positioning information (PI) obtained based on the transmitted and received SL-PRSs at 918, 920, 922. For example, at 924, UE-2 904a may transmit the first PI including a first RTT between UE-1 902 and UE-2 904a. The first RTT may be obtained by UE-2 904a and based on a calculation of a difference between a known transmit time of the third SL-PRS at 922 (from UE-1 902) and a measured receive time of the 3.sup.rd SL-PRS at UE-2 904a. The first PI may also include a RTT between UE-n 904n and UE-2 902 based on a calculation of a difference between a known transmit time of the second SL-PRS at 920 (from UE-n 904n) and a measured receive time of the second SL-PRS at UE-2 904a.”, Wu [0135])
Wu as described above does not explicitly teach:
and determining the plurality of candidate frequency resources associated with the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources is based on at least one of: one or more parameters associated with the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources; one or more indexes associated with the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources; or one or more identities associated with the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources performing monitoring on the plurality of candidate frequency resources of the sidelink control channel in the slot;
wherein the first sidelink reference signal resource is associated with at least one of: one or more first parameters determined based on the first frequency resource of the sidelink control channel; a first index determined based on the first frequency resource of the sidelink control channel; or a first identity determined based on the first frequency resource of the sidelink control channel.
However, Si further teaches determining frequency resources associated with SL PRS which includes:
and determining the plurality of candidate frequency resources associated with the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources is based on at least one of: one or more parameters associated with the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources; one or more indexes associated with the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources; or one or more identities associated with the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources performing monitoring on the plurality of candidate frequency resources of the sidelink control channel in the slot; (“Optionally, in some embodiments, the method further includes: [0109] obtaining, by the first terminal, SL PRS configuration information; and [0110] determining, by the first terminal, the target SCI based on the SL PRS configuration information.”, Si [0108]) (“In this embodiment of the application, the SL PRS configuration information may be understood as SL PRS configuration information in a resource pool or an SL PRS resource block, that is, obtaining the SL PRS configuration information may be understood as obtaining the SL PRS configuration information in the resource pool or the SL PRS resource block. The SL PRS configuration information may be obtained in at least one of the manners: being configured by the network-side device, being pre-configured by the network-side device, being specified by the protocol, being configured by other terminals, and being pre-configured by other terminals.”, Si [0111]) (“Optionally, the SL PRS configuration information includes at least one of the following: [0113] a time domain position available for SL PRS; [0114] a frequency domain position available for SL PRS; [0115] an SL PRS bandwidth or SL PRS bandwidth candidate set; [0116] a comb or a comb candidate set; [0117] the number of symbols or a candidate set of number of symbols; [0118] a number of cyclic shifts or a candidate set of cyclic shifts; [0119] a period or a period candidate set; [0120] an SL PRS time-frequency resource pattern or an SL PRS time-frequency resource pattern candidate set; [0121] a sequence identifier or a sequence identifier candidate set; [0122] an SL PRS priority or an SL PRS priority candidate set; and [0123] configuration information for a physical sidelink control channel PSCCH (or SCI) associated with SL PRS.”, Si [0112])
wherein the first sidelink reference signal resource is associated with at least one of: one or more first parameters determined based on the first frequency resource of the sidelink control channel; a first index determined based on the first frequency resource of the sidelink control channel; or a first identity determined based on the first frequency resource of the sidelink control channel. (“Optionally, in some embodiments, the method further includes: [0109] obtaining, by the first terminal, SL PRS configuration information; and [0110] determining, by the first terminal, the target SCI based on the SL PRS configuration information.”, Si [0108]) (“In this embodiment of the application, the SL PRS configuration information may be understood as SL PRS configuration information in a resource pool or an SL PRS resource block, that is, obtaining the SL PRS configuration information may be understood as obtaining the SL PRS configuration information in the resource pool or the SL PRS resource block. The SL PRS configuration information may be obtained in at least one of the manners: being configured by the network-side device, being pre-configured by the network-side device, being specified by the protocol, being configured by other terminals, and being pre-configured by other terminals.”, Si [0111]) (“Optionally, the SL PRS configuration information includes at least one of the following: [0113] a time domain position available for SL PRS; [0114] a frequency domain position available for SL PRS; [0115] an SL PRS bandwidth or SL PRS bandwidth candidate set; [0116] a comb or a comb candidate set; [0117] the number of symbols or a candidate set of number of symbols; [0118] a number of cyclic shifts or a candidate set of cyclic shifts; [0119] a period or a period candidate set; [0120] an SL PRS time-frequency resource pattern or an SL PRS time-frequency resource pattern candidate set; [0121] a sequence identifier or a sequence identifier candidate set; [0122] an SL PRS priority or an SL PRS priority candidate set; and [0123] configuration information for a physical sidelink control channel PSCCH (or SCI) associated with SL PRS.”, Si [0112])
Wu and Si are analogous because they pertain to processing SL PRS.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include determining frequency resources associated with SL PRS as described in Si into Wu. By modifying the method to include determining frequency resources associated with SL PRS as taught by Si, the benefits of improved processing of sidelink positioning (Si [0112] and Wu [0108]) are achieved.
As to claim 2, 18, and 20 (claim 2 is the method claim for the device in claim 18 and non-transitory machine readable medium in claim 20):
Wu as described above does not explicitly teach:
The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of: the first sidelink resource pool comprises one or more sidelink reference signal time occasions in the slot;
the one or more first parameters of the first sidelink reference signal resource comprise timing information associated with the first sidelink reference signal resource;
the one or more first parameters of the first sidelink reference signal resource comprise an indication of a sidelink reference signal time occasion in the slot, wherein the first sidelink reference signal resource is in the sidelink reference signal time occasion;
the one or more first parameters of the first sidelink reference signal resource comprise timing information associated with the sidelink reference signal time occasion in the slot;
the one or more parameters associated with the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources comprise sidelink reference signal time occasions of candidate sidelink reference signal resources of the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources;
the one or more parameters associated with the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources comprise timing information associated with candidate sidelink reference signal resources of the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources;
or the one or more parameters associated with the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources comprise timing information associated with the one or more sidelink reference signal time occasions in the slot.
However, Si further teaches determining frequency resources associated with SL PRS which includes:
The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of: the first sidelink resource pool comprises one or more sidelink reference signal time occasions in the slot;
the one or more first parameters of the first sidelink reference signal resource comprise timing information associated with the first sidelink reference signal resource;
the one or more first parameters of the first sidelink reference signal resource comprise an indication of a sidelink reference signal time occasion in the slot, wherein the first sidelink reference signal resource is in the sidelink reference signal time occasion;
the one or more first parameters of the first sidelink reference signal resource comprise timing information associated with the sidelink reference signal time occasion in the slot;
the one or more parameters associated with the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources comprise sidelink reference signal time occasions of candidate sidelink reference signal resources of the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources;
the one or more parameters associated with the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources comprise timing information associated with candidate sidelink reference signal resources of the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources;
or the one or more parameters associated with the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources comprise timing information associated with the one or more sidelink reference signal time occasions in the slot. (“Optionally, in some embodiments, the method further includes: [0109] obtaining, by the first terminal, SL PRS configuration information; and [0110] determining, by the first terminal, the target SCI based on the SL PRS configuration information.”, Si [0108]) (“In this embodiment of the application, the SL PRS configuration information may be understood as SL PRS configuration information in a resource pool or an SL PRS resource block, that is, obtaining the SL PRS configuration information may be understood as obtaining the SL PRS configuration information in the resource pool or the SL PRS resource block. The SL PRS configuration information may be obtained in at least one of the manners: being configured by the network-side device, being pre-configured by the network-side device, being specified by the protocol, being configured by other terminals, and being pre-configured by other terminals.”, Si [0111]) (“Optionally, the SL PRS configuration information includes at least one of the following: [0113] a time domain position available for SL PRS; [0114] a frequency domain position available for SL PRS; [0115] an SL PRS bandwidth or SL PRS bandwidth candidate set; [0116] a comb or a comb candidate set; [0117] the number of symbols or a candidate set of number of symbols; [0118] a number of cyclic shifts or a candidate set of cyclic shifts; [0119] a period or a period candidate set; [0120] an SL PRS time-frequency resource pattern or an SL PRS time-frequency resource pattern candidate set; [0121] a sequence identifier or a sequence identifier candidate set; [0122] an SL PRS priority or an SL PRS priority candidate set; and [0123] configuration information for a physical sidelink control channel PSCCH (or SCI) associated with SL PRS.”, Si [0112])
Wu and Si are analogous because they pertain to processing SL PRS.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include determining frequency resources associated with SL PRS as described in Si into Wu. By modifying the method to include determining frequency resources associated with SL PRS as taught by Si, the benefits of improved processing of sidelink positioning (Si [0112] and Wu [0108]) are achieved.
As to claim 3:
Wu discloses:
The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of: the one or more first parameters of the first sidelink reference signal resource comprise at least one of: a frequency offset of the first sidelink reference signal resource; a comb offset of the first sidelink reference signal resource; or a Resource Element (RE) offset of the first sidelink reference signal resource; or the one or more parameters associated with the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources comprise at least one of: frequency offsets of candidate sidelink reference signal resources of the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources; comb offsets of candidate sidelink reference signal resources of the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources; or RE offsets of candidate sidelink reference signal resources of the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources. (“For example, when the SL-PRS mapping is comb-based, the Tx UE may also utilize the SL-PRS frequency resource indicator 624 (or some other indicator) to indicate a comb index or comb offset.”, Wu [0114])
As to claim 4:
Wu as described above does not explicitly teach:
The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of: the method comprises determining to use the first sidelink reference signal resource in the slot for measuring the sidelink reference signal based on a first association between the first frequency resource of the sidelink control channel and at least one of: the one or more first parameters of the first sidelink reference signal resource; the first index of the first sidelink reference signal resource; or the first identity of the first sidelink reference signal resource; the first association is at least one of configured or specified for the device; the method comprises receiving an indication of the first association; the first association is applied in the slot; determining the plurality of candidate frequency resources of the sidelink control channel is performed based on a second association between the plurality of candidate frequency resources of the sidelink control channel and at least one of: the one or more parameters associated with the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources; the one or more indexes associated with the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources; or the one or more identities associated with the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources; the second association is at least one of configured or specified for the device; the method comprises receiving an indication of the second association; or the second association is applied in the slot.
However, Si further teaches determining frequency resources associated with SL PRS which includes:
The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of: the method comprises determining to use the first sidelink reference signal resource in the slot for measuring the sidelink reference signal based on a first association between the first frequency resource of the sidelink control channel and at least one of: the one or more first parameters of the first sidelink reference signal resource; the first index of the first sidelink reference signal resource; or the first identity of the first sidelink reference signal resource; the first association is at least one of configured or specified for the device; the method comprises receiving an indication of the first association;
(“Optionally, in some embodiments, the method further includes: [0109] obtaining, by the first terminal, SL PRS configuration information; and [0110] determining, by the first terminal, the target SCI based on the SL PRS configuration information.”, Si [0108]) (“In this embodiment of the application, the SL PRS configuration information may be understood as SL PRS configuration information in a resource pool or an SL PRS resource block, that is, obtaining the SL PRS configuration information may be understood as obtaining the SL PRS configuration information in the resource pool or the SL PRS resource block. The SL PRS configuration information may be obtained in at least one of the manners: being configured by the network-side device, being pre-configured by the network-side device, being specified by the protocol, being configured by other terminals, and being pre-configured by other terminals.”, Si [0111]) (“Optionally, the SL PRS configuration information includes at least one of the following: [0113] a time domain position available for SL PRS; [0114] a frequency domain position available for SL PRS; [0115] an SL PRS bandwidth or SL PRS bandwidth candidate set; [0116] a comb or a comb candidate set; [0117] the number of symbols or a candidate set of number of symbols; [0118] a number of cyclic shifts or a candidate set of cyclic shifts; [0119] a period or a period candidate set; [0120] an SL PRS time-frequency resource pattern or an SL PRS time-frequency resource pattern candidate set; [0121] a sequence identifier or a sequence identifier candidate set; [0122] an SL PRS priority or an SL PRS priority candidate set; and [0123] configuration information for a physical sidelink control channel PSCCH (or SCI) associated with SL PRS.”, Si [0112]) (“Optionally, in some embodiments, in a case that the target SCI is dedicated SCI, the second-stage SCI includes at least one of the following: [0194] a second SL PRS enabling identifier, where the second SL PRS enabling identifier is used to indicate whether an SL PRS is present in a slot in which the second-stage SCI is located; [0195] an SL PRS resource identifier, where the SL PRS resource identifier is used to indicate a number of a resource selected for the SL PRS by the first terminal from a resource pool or an SL PRS resource block; [0196] SL PRS time domain position indication information of a first slot in which the target SCI is located; [0197] SL PRS comb structure indication information; [0198] SL PRS comb offset indication information; [0199] SL PRS cyclic shift indication information; [0200] SL PRS sequence identifier indication information; [0201] SL PRS time-domain resource pattern indication information; [0202] first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a repeated or reserved SL PRS resource in a second slot, and the second slot is different from the first slot; [0203] SL PRS periodic indication information; [0204] SL PRS priority indication information; [0205] a destination address identifier associated with the SL PRS; [0206] a resource identifier associated with the SL PRS; and [0207] a positioning measurement reporting request.”, Si [0193])
the first association is applied in the slot; (“Optionally, the SL PRS resource IDs are sorted according to an order specified by the protocol, for example, resources corresponding to the resource IDs are determined by at least one of a preset frequency domain position, a time domain position and a sequence, and a sequence of the IDs is arranged according to an order in frequency domain, time domain, and/or code domain, for example, in frequency domain first and then time domain, or in code domain first and then frequency domain and then code domain. Optionally, different SL PRS resources correspond to different frequency domain positions, which may be construed as that different SL PRS resources correspond to different comb offsets (or RE offsets) under the comb structure; different SL PRS resources correspond to different time domain positions, which may be construed as that different SL PRS resources correspond to different symbols in one slot, or different slots; and different SL PRS resources correspond to different sequences, which may be construed as that different SL PRS resources correspond to different cyclic shifts and/or sequence IDs.”, Si [0084])
determining the plurality of candidate frequency resources of the sidelink control channel is performed based on a second association between the plurality of candidate frequency resources of the sidelink control channel and at least one of: the one or more parameters associated with the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources; the one or more indexes associated with the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources; or the one or more identities associated with the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources; the second association is at least one of configured or specified for the device; the method comprises receiving an indication of the second association; or the second association is applied in the slot. (“Optionally, the SL PRS resource IDs are sorted according to an order specified by the protocol, for example, resources corresponding to the resource IDs are determined by at least one of a preset frequency domain position, a time domain position and a sequence, and a sequence of the IDs is arranged according to an order in frequency domain, time domain, and/or code domain, for example, in frequency domain first and then time domain, or in code domain first and then frequency domain and then code domain. Optionally, different SL PRS resources correspond to different frequency domain positions, which may be construed as that different SL PRS resources correspond to different comb offsets (or RE offsets) under the comb structure; different SL PRS resources correspond to different time domain positions, which may be construed as that different SL PRS resources correspond to different symbols in one slot, or different slots; and different SL PRS resources correspond to different sequences, which may be construed as that different SL PRS resources correspond to different cyclic shifts and/or sequence IDs.”, Si [0084]) (Examiner’s Note: this process is done for different slots which maps to second association)
Wu and Si are analogous because they pertain to processing SL PRS.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include determining frequency resources associated with SL PRS as described in Si into Wu. By modifying the method to include determining frequency resources associated with SL PRS as taught by Si, the benefits of improved processing of sidelink positioning (Si [0112] and Wu [0108]) are achieved.
As to claim 5:
Wu as described above does not explicitly teach:
The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of: the method comprises determining to use the first sidelink reference signal resource in the slot for measuring the sidelink reference signal based on a first association between the first frequency resource of the sidelink control channel and the first sidelink reference signal resource;
the first association is at least one of configured or specified for the device; the method comprises receiving an indication of the first association; the first association is applied in the slot; determining the plurality of candidate frequency resources of the sidelink control channel is performed based on a second association between the plurality of candidate frequency resources of the sidelink control channel and the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources; the second association is at least one of configured or specified for the device; the method comprises receiving an indication of the second association; or the second association is applied in the slot.
However, Si further teaches determining frequency resources associated with SL PRS which includes:
The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of: the method comprises determining to use the first sidelink reference signal resource in the slot for measuring the sidelink reference signal based on a first association between the first frequency resource of the sidelink control channel and the first sidelink reference signal resource;
the first association is at least one of configured or specified for the device; the method comprises receiving an indication of the first association; (“Optionally, in some embodiments, the method further includes: [0109] obtaining, by the first terminal, SL PRS configuration information; and [0110] determining, by the first terminal, the target SCI based on the SL PRS configuration information.”, Si [0108]) (“In this embodiment of the application, the SL PRS configuration information may be understood as SL PRS configuration information in a resource pool or an SL PRS resource block, that is, obtaining the SL PRS configuration information may be understood as obtaining the SL PRS configuration information in the resource pool or the SL PRS resource block. The SL PRS configuration information may be obtained in at least one of the manners: being configured by the network-side device, being pre-configured by the network-side device, being specified by the protocol, being configured by other terminals, and being pre-configured by other terminals.”, Si [0111]) (“Optionally, the SL PRS configuration information includes at least one of the following: [0113] a time domain position available for SL PRS; [0114] a frequency domain position available for SL PRS; [0115] an SL PRS bandwidth or SL PRS bandwidth candidate set; [0116] a comb or a comb candidate set; [0117] the number of symbols or a candidate set of number of symbols; [0118] a number of cyclic shifts or a candidate set of cyclic shifts; [0119] a period or a period candidate set; [0120] an SL PRS time-frequency resource pattern or an SL PRS time-frequency resource pattern candidate set; [0121] a sequence identifier or a sequence identifier candidate set; [0122] an SL PRS priority or an SL PRS priority candidate set; and [0123] configuration information for a physical sidelink control channel PSCCH (or SCI) associated with SL PRS.”, Si [0112]) (“Optionally, in some embodiments, in a case that the target SCI is dedicated SCI, the second-stage SCI includes at least one of the following: [0194] a second SL PRS enabling identifier, where the second SL PRS enabling identifier is used to indicate whether an SL PRS is present in a slot in which the second-stage SCI is located; [0195] an SL PRS resource identifier, where the SL PRS resource identifier is used to indicate a number of a resource selected for the SL PRS by the first terminal from a resource pool or an SL PRS resource block; [0196] SL PRS time domain position indication information of a first slot in which the target SCI is located; [0197] SL PRS comb structure indication information; [0198] SL PRS comb offset indication information; [0199] SL PRS cyclic shift indication information; [0200] SL PRS sequence identifier indication information; [0201] SL PRS time-domain resource pattern indication information; [0202] first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a repeated or reserved SL PRS resource in a second slot, and the second slot is different from the first slot; [0203] SL PRS periodic indication information; [0204] SL PRS priority indication information; [0205] a destination address identifier associated with the SL PRS; [0206] a resource identifier associated with the SL PRS; and [0207] a positioning measurement reporting request.”, Si [0193])
the first association is applied in the slot; (“Optionally, the SL PRS resource IDs are sorted according to an order specified by the protocol, for example, resources corresponding to the resource IDs are determined by at least one of a preset frequency domain position, a time domain position and a sequence, and a sequence of the IDs is arranged according to an order in frequency domain, time domain, and/or code domain, for example, in frequency domain first and then time domain, or in code domain first and then frequency domain and then code domain. Optionally, different SL PRS resources correspond to different frequency domain positions, which may be construed as that different SL PRS resources correspond to different comb offsets (or RE offsets) under the comb structure; different SL PRS resources correspond to different time domain positions, which may be construed as that different SL PRS resources correspond to different symbols in one slot, or different slots; and different SL PRS resources correspond to different sequences, which may be construed as that different SL PRS resources correspond to different cyclic shifts and/or sequence IDs.”, Si [0084])
determining the plurality of candidate frequency resources of the sidelink control channel is performed based on a second association between the plurality of candidate frequency resources of the sidelink control channel and the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources; the second association is at least one of configured or specified for the device; the method comprises receiving an indication of the second association; or the second association is applied in the slot. (“Optionally, the SL PRS resource IDs are sorted according to an order specified by the protocol, for example, resources corresponding to the resource IDs are determined by at least one of a preset frequency domain position, a time domain position and a sequence, and a sequence of the IDs is arranged according to an order in frequency domain, time domain, and/or code domain, for example, in frequency domain first and then time domain, or in code domain first and then frequency domain and then code domain. Optionally, different SL PRS resources correspond to different frequency domain positions, which may be construed as that different SL PRS resources correspond to different comb offsets (or RE offsets) under the comb structure; different SL PRS resources correspond to different time domain positions, which may be construed as that different SL PRS resources correspond to different symbols in one slot, or different slots; and different SL PRS resources correspond to different sequences, which may be construed as that different SL PRS resources correspond to different cyclic shifts and/or sequence IDs.”, Si [0084]) (Examiner’s Note: this process is done for different slots which maps to second association)
Wu and Si are analogous because they pertain to processing SL PRS.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include determining frequency resources associated with SL PRS as described in Si into Wu. By modifying the method to include determining frequency resources associated with SL PRS as taught by Si, the benefits of improved processing of sidelink positioning (Si [0112] and Wu [0108]) are achieved.
As to claim 6:
Wu discloses:
The method of claim 1, wherein: the first frequency resource of the sidelink control channel is associated with the first sidelink reference signal resource. (“In a second example, a first UE may reserve resources (i.e., frequency-time resources within a SL-PRS resource pool) for itself and a second UE. FIG. 8B depicts such an example. The frequency-time resources may be scheduled such that the first UE and the second UE transmit their respective SL-PRSs in the same slot at different times. For example, the first UE may reserve resources within the SL-PRS resource pool in one slot for both itself and the second UE.”, Wu [0108])
As to claim 7:
Wu discloses:
The method of claim 1, wherein: one sidelink reference signal resource in the slot in the first sidelink resource pool is associated with one frequency resource of the sidelink control channel. (“In a second example, a first UE may reserve resources (i.e., frequency-time resources within a SL-PRS resource pool) for itself and a second UE. FIG. 8B depicts such an example. The frequency-time resources may be scheduled such that the first UE and the second UE transmit their respective SL-PRSs in the same slot at different times. For example, the first UE may reserve resources within the SL-PRS resource pool in one slot for both itself and the second UE.”, Wu [0108])
As to claim 8:
Wu discloses:
The method of claim 1, wherein: the first sidelink resource pool comprises the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources in the slot; and at least one of: each sidelink reference signal resource of the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources at least one of covers or occupies at least one of a full bandwidth of the first sidelink resource pool in Physical Resource Block (PRB)-level or full frequency resources of the first sidelink resource pool in PRB-level; the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources are multiplexed based on a comb-structure in one or more sidelink reference signal time occasions in the slot; or the plurality of candidate sidelink reference signal resources in the slot are associated with the plurality of candidate frequency resources of the sidelink control channel in one sidelink control channel time occasion in the slot in the first sidelink resource pool. (“FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating examples of sidelink slot structures according to some aspects. The sidelink slot structures may be utilized, for example, in a V2X or other D2D network implementing sidelink. In the examples shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, time is in the horizontal direction with units of symbols 402 (e.g., OFDM symbols); and frequency is in the vertical direction. Here, a carrier bandwidth 404 allocated for sidelink wireless communication is illustrated along the frequency axis. The carrier bandwidth 404 may include a plurality of sub-channels, where each sub-channel may include a configurable number of PRBs (e.g., 10, 14, 20, 24, 40, 44, or 100 PRBs).”, Wu [0077]) (“FIG. 8A is a portion of a resource grid 800 providing an example of a comb-6 type resource allocation for the SL-PRSs of three UEs according to aspects described herein. FIG. 8B is a portion of a resource grid 801 providing an example of a back-to-back time domain resource allocation for SL-PRSs of two UEs according to aspects described herein. In FIGS. 8A and 8B, time is illustrated along the horizontal axis in units of OFDM symbols, while frequency is illustrated along the vertical axis in units of sub-carriers. One PRB in frequency and one slot in time are depicted for ease of illustration and not limitation.”, Wu [0119])
As to claim 9:
Wu discloses:
The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of: the receiving the SCI comprises receiving the SCI, from a second device, for scheduling the first sidelink reference signal resource; the SCI corresponds to a one-stage SCI; the receiving the SCI comprising receiving the one-stage SCI, in the first sidelink resource pool, for acquiring scheduling information associated with the first sidelink reference signal resource; or the method comprises not receiving a two-stage SCI, in the first sidelink resource pool, for acquiring scheduling information associated with the first sidelink reference signal resource. (“In an example of sidelink communication over a sidelink carrier via a PC5 interface, the control region 212 of the slot 210 may include a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) including sidelink control information (SCI) transmitted by an initiating (transmitting) sidelink device (e.g., Tx V2X device or other Tx UE) towards a set of one or more other receiving sidelink devices (e.g., Rx V2X device or other Rx UE). The data region 214 of the slot 210 may include a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) including sidelink data traffic transmitted by the initiating (transmitting) sidelink device within resources reserved over the sidelink carrier by the transmitting sidelink device via the SCI.”, Wu [0063]) (“In some examples, sidelink (e.g., PC5) communication may be scheduled by use of sidelink control information (SCI). SCI may include two SCI stages. Stage 1 sidelink control information (first stage SCI) may be referred to herein as SCI-1. Stage 2 sidelink control information (second stage SCI) may be referred to herein as SCI-2.”, Wu [0074])
As to claim 10:
Wu discloses:
The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of: the method comprises receiving a configuration of a second sidelink resource pool with sidelink data resources; the method comprises receiving a two-stage SCI, in the second sidelink resource pool, for acquiring scheduling information associated with a sidelink data transmission in the second sidelink resource pool; or the method comprises not receiving a one-stage SCI, in the second sidelink resource pool, for acquiring scheduling information associated with the sidelink data transmission in the second sidelink resource pool. (“Other types of messages, which may be utilized to convey data associated with SL-PRS operation/configuration are within the scope of the disclosure. The position of the object identified as the SL-PRS resource reservation message 516 within the SL communication resource pool 510b, and the shape of the object identified as the SL-PRS resource reservation message 516 within the SL communication resource pool 510b are for explanatory and non-limiting purposes.”, Wu [0097]) (“FIG. 5 is a diagram 500 illustrating an example of a plurality of sidelink communication resource pools 510a, 510b, 510c (hereinafter SL communication resource pools) and SL-PRS resource pools 512a, 512b, 512c according to some aspects. In the example shown in FIG. 5, time is illustrated along the horizontal axis, while frequency is illustrated along the vertical axis. A first PSCCH/PSSCH transmission 502 and a second PSCCH/PSSCH transmission 504 are identified for reference. Each of the PSCCH/PSSCH transmissions include a PSCCH 506a, 506b, 506c, 506d and a PSSCH 508a, 508b, 508c, 508d. Data is organized into transport blocks (TBs), and each TB is associated with a SCI. The SCI is transmitted in two stages. The 1st-stage SCI (SCI-1) is carried on the PSCCH 506a, 506b, 506c, 506d, while the 2nd-stage SCI (SCI-2) and associated TB is carried on the respective PSSCH 508a, 508b, 508c, 508d.”, Wu [0091]) (“The PSCCH 506a, 506b, 506c, 506d carries the SCI-1. The SCI-1 indicates resource allocation, modulation and coding scheme (MCS), and priority of the associated PSSCH. The SCI-1 also indicates a resource reservation period, a time pattern, a number of ports for PSSCH DMRS, and a size and format of the SCI-2. In some examples, sidelink UE operation under mode 2 is contemplated. In mode 2, each UE schedules its own transmissions without reliance on the network for scheduling. For example, in mode 2, resource allocation may be based on sidelink sensing, which includes SCI decoding and reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement. If a future resource is indicated as being reserved by a decoded SCI-1 of a first UE, and, the RSRP measured in the SCI-1 by a second UE is higher than an RSRP threshold, the future resource may be considered as being reserved, and therefore unavailable for use by the second UE; otherwise, the future resource may be considered as available. Accordingly, a sidelink UE may transmit a first transmission of a SL communication in resources of the SL communication resource pool 510a if the resources are available. In the first transmission, the SCI-1 of the first PSCCH (e.g., PSCCH 506a) reserves resources (e.g., of the SL communication resource pool(s) 510b, 510c) for one or more subsequent transmissions. The reservation may be made based, for example, on a resource reservation period indicated in the SCI-1. All UEs may decode the respective SCI-1s transmitted by a plurality of respective UEs. Decoding the SCI-1s permits a UE to avoid transmitting on resources that another UE reserves. Accordingly, a first UE receiving a plurality of SCI-1s from a respective plurality of other UEs may determine a set of resources in the SL communication resource pool 510 that are not available to the first UE (because the unavailable resources in the set of resources have already been reserved for use by other UEs).”, Wu [0092])
As to claim 11:
Wu discloses:
The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of: the first sidelink resource pool is a dedicated sidelink resource pool for at least one of one or more sidelink reference signals or one or more SCIs; or the first sidelink resource pool does not comprise sidelink data channel resources. (“FIG. 5 is a diagram 500 illustrating an example of a plurality of sidelink communication resource pools 510a, 510b, 510c (hereinafter SL communication resource pools) and SL-PRS resource pools 512a, 512b, 512c according to some aspects. In the example shown in FIG. 5, time is illustrated along the horizontal axis, while frequency is illustrated along the vertical axis. A first PSCCH/PSSCH transmission 502 and a second PSCCH/PSSCH transmission 504 are identified for reference. Each of the PSCCH/PSSCH transmissions include a PSCCH 506a, 506b, 506c, 506d and a PSSCH 508a, 508b, 508c, 508d. Data is organized into transport blocks (TBs), and each TB is associated with a SCI. The SCI is transmitted in two stages. The 1st-stage SCI (SCI-1) is carried on the PSCCH 506a, 506b, 506c, 506d, while the 2nd-stage SCI (SCI-2) and associated TB is carried on the respective PSSCH 508a, 508b, 508c, 508d.”, Wu [0091])
As to claim 12:
Wu discloses:
The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of: the sidelink reference signal is a sidelink positioning reference signal; the sidelink reference signal is a sidelink Channel State Information based Reference Signal (CSI-RS) for beam management; or the sidelink reference signal is utilized for at least one of localization, positioning, range, sensing or imaging. (“The method can include transmitting a first sidelink-positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) resource reservation message within resources in a SL communication resource pool, where the first SL-PRS resource reservation message identifies a first SL-PRS resource within a SL-PRS resource pool, and the SL communication resource pool is different from the SL-PRS resource pool. The method can further include transmitting a first SL-PRS in the first SL-PRS resource within the SL-PRS resource pool.”, Wu [0006])
As to claim 13:
Wu discloses:
The method of claim 2, wherein at least one of: the one or more sidelink reference signal time occasions in the slot comprise a first sidelink reference signal time occasion and a second sidelink reference signal time occasion; each candidate sidelink reference signal resource in the first sidelink reference signal time occasion is associated with a first bandwidth; each candidate sidelink reference signal resource in the second sidelink reference signal time occasion is associated with the first bandwidth; the first bandwidth corresponds to at least one of a full bandwidth of the first sidelink resource pool in Physical Resource Block (PRB)-level or full frequency resources of the first sidelink resource pool in PRB-level; the first sidelink reference signal time occasion in the slot starts from a first symbol; the second sidelink reference signal time occasion in the slot starts from a second symbol; the first symbol is different than the second symbol; the first sidelink reference signal time occasion and the second sidelink reference signal time occasion are non-overlapped in time domain; when the first sidelink reference signal resource is in the first sidelink reference signal time occasion, the one or more first parameters of the first sidelink reference signal resource comprise first timing information associated with the first sidelink reference signal time occasion; when the first sidelink reference signal resource is in the second sidelink reference signal time occasion, the one or more first parameters of the first sidelink reference signal resource comprise second timing information associated with the second sidelink reference signal time occasion; or the first timing information is different than the second timing information. (“FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating examples of sidelink slot structures according to some aspects. The sidelink slot structures may be utilized, for example, in a V2X or other D2D network implementing sidelink. In the examples shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, time is in the horizontal direction with units of symbols 402 (e.g., OFDM symbols); and frequency is in the vertical direction. Here, a carrier bandwidth 404 allocated for sidelink wireless communication is illustrated along the frequency axis. The carrier bandwidth 404 may include a plurality of sub-channels, where each sub-channel may include a configurable number of PRBs (e.g., 10, 14, 20, 24, 40, 44, or 100 PRBs).”, Wu [0077]) (“FIG. 8A is a portion of a resource grid 800 providing an example of a comb-6 type resource allocation for the SL-PRSs of three UEs according to aspects described herein. FIG. 8B is a portion of a resource grid 801 providing an example of a back-to-back time domain resource allocation for SL-PRSs of two UEs according to aspects described herein. In FIGS. 8A and 8B, time is illustrated along the horizontal axis in units of OFDM symbols, while frequency is illustrated along the vertical axis in units of sub-carriers. One PRB in frequency and one slot in time are depicted for ease of illustration and not limitation.”, Wu [0119])
As to claim 16:
Wu discloses:
The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of: one sidelink control channel time occasion is in the slot in the first sidelink resource pool; the one sidelink control channel time occasion comprises the plurality of candidate frequency resources of the sidelink control channel; or the plurality of candidate frequency resources in the one sidelink control channel time occasion are frequency division multiplexed (FDMed). (“FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating examples of sidelink slot structures according to some aspects. The sidelink slot structures may be utilized, for example, in a V2X or other D2D network implementing sidelink. In the examples shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, time is in the horizontal direction with units of symbols 402 (e.g., OFDM symbols); and frequency is in the vertical direction. Here, a carrier bandwidth 404 allocated for sidelink wireless communication is illustrated along the frequency axis. The carrier bandwidth 404 may include a plurality of sub-channels, where each sub-channel may include a configurable number of PRBs (e.g., 10, 14, 20, 24, 40, 44, or 100 PRBs).”, Wu [0077]) (“FIG. 8A is a portion of a resource grid 800 providing an example of a comb-6 type resource allocation for the SL-PRSs of three UEs according to aspects described herein. FIG. 8B is a portion of a resource grid 801 providing an example of a back-to-back time domain resource allocation for SL-PRSs of two UEs according to aspects described herein. In FIGS. 8A and 8B, time is illustrated along the horizontal axis in units of OFDM symbols, while frequency is illustrated along the vertical axis in units of sub-carriers. One PRB in frequency and one slot in time are depicted for ease of illustration and not limitation.”, Wu [0119]) (“In an example of sidelink communication over a sidelink carrier via a PC5 interface, the control region 212 of the slot 210 may include a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) including sidelink control information (SCI) transmitted by an initiating (transmitting) sidelink device (e.g., Tx V2X device or other Tx UE) towards a set of one or more other receiving sidelink devices (e.g., Rx V2X device or other Rx UE). The data region 214 of the slot 210 may include a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) including sidelink data traffic transmitted by the initiating (transmitting) sidelink device within resources reserved over the sidelink carrier by the transmitting sidelink device via the SCI. Other information may further be transmitted over various REs 206 within slot 210. For example, HARQ feedback information may be transmitted in a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) within the slot 210 from the receiving sidelink device to the transmitting sidelink device. In addition, one or more reference signals, such as a sidelink SSB, a sidelink CSI-RS, a sidelink SRS, and/or a sidelink positioning reference signal (PRS) may be transmitted within the slot 210.”, Wu [0063])
Claim(s) 14 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu in view of Si, as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Baek et al. WO 2022139093 (hereinafter “Baek”)
As to claim 14:
The combination of Wu and Si as described above does not explicitly teach:
The method of claim 13, wherein: a first number of sidelink reference signals multiplexed in the first sidelink reference signal time occasion is the same as a second number of sidelink reference signals multiplexed in the second sidelink reference signal time occasion.
However, Baek further teaches having different or same number of SL-PRS in different time occasions which includes:
The method of claim 13, wherein: a first number of sidelink reference signals multiplexed in the first sidelink reference signal time occasion is the same as a second number of sidelink reference signals multiplexed in the second sidelink reference signal time occasion. (“Considering a positioning structure in which positioning signaling and SL-PRS are transmitted through different slots, the maximum number of attempts of positioning signaling and SL-PRS may be the same or different. That is, positioning signaling can be (re)transmitted up to "X" times and SL-PRS can be (re)transmitted up to "Y" times. At this time, the "X" and "Y" values are set through SIB (System Information Block), RRC (Radio Resource Control) signaling, .sup.1st stage SCI (Sidelink Control Information) of PSCCH/PSSCH, and/or .sup.2nd stage SCI, etc. may be, but is not limited thereto, and may be transmitted/signaled together with data.”, Baek [page 19, line 25])
Wu, Baek, and Si are analogous because they pertain to processing SL PRS.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include having different or same number of SL-PRS in different time occasions as described in Baek into Wu as modified by Si. By modifying the method to include having different or same number of SL-PRS in different time occasions as taught by Baek, the benefits of improved processing of sidelink positioning (Si [0112], Baek [page 19, line 25], and Wu [0108]) are achieved.
As to claim 15:
The combination of Wu and Si as described above does not explicitly teach:
The method of claim 13, wherein: a first number of sidelink reference signals multiplexed in the first sidelink reference signal time occasion is different than a second number of sidelink reference signals multiplexed in the second sidelink reference signal time occasion.
However, Baek further teaches having different or same number of SL-PRS in different time occasions which includes:
The method of claim 13, wherein: a first number of sidelink reference signals multiplexed in the first sidelink reference signal time occasion is different than a second number of sidelink reference signals multiplexed in the second sidelink reference signal time occasion. (“Considering a positioning structure in which positioning signaling and SL-PRS are transmitted through different slots, the maximum number of attempts of positioning signaling and SL-PRS may be the same or different. That is, positioning signaling can be (re)transmitted up to "X" times and SL-PRS can be (re)transmitted up to "Y" times. At this time, the "X" and "Y" values are set through SIB (System Information Block), RRC (Radio Resource Control) signaling, .sup.1st stage SCI (Sidelink Control Information) of PSCCH/PSSCH, and/or .sup.2nd stage SCI, etc. may be, but is not limited thereto, and may be transmitted/signaled together with data.”, Baek [page 19, line 25])
Wu, Baek, and Si are analogous because they pertain to processing SL PRS.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include having different or same number of SL-PRS in different time occasions as described in Baek into Wu as modified by Si. By modifying the method to include having different or same number of SL-PRS in different time occasions as taught by Baek, the benefits of improved processing of sidelink positioning (Si [0112], Baek [page 19, line 25], and Wu [0108]) are achieved.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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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/A.C.K./
Examiner
Art Unit 2471
/SUJOY K KUNDU/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2471