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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-13, 16-17, 19-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fischer et al. (hereinafter Fischer)(US 2016/0234709) in view of Chavva et al. (hereinafter Chavva)(US 2022/0070026) and Kumar et al. (hereinafter Kumar)(US 9820091).
Regarding claim 1, Fischer teaches an apparatus comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to(item 200 in Fig. 2; also Fig. 1; base stations 144 and base stations 140):
obtain a first positioning reference signal configuration from at least a first serving access node and a first neighbor access node comprised in a first network, wherein the apparatus is associated with a first network to the first network(P[0116], PRS configuration information; carrier frequency);
determine first positioning information by receiving a first positioning reference signal based on the obtained first positioning reference signal(P[0062], positioning information ToA);
obtain a second positioning reference signal from a second serving access node and a second neighbor access node in a second network, wherein the apparatus is further associated with a second network to the second network(P[0062], positioning information ToA);
determine second positioning information by receiving a second positioning information reference signal based on the obtained second positioning reference signal (P[0062], positioning information ToA);
estimate a clock frequency difference between the first network and the second network and determine an offset between the first network and the second network(P[0071], offset and frequency difference);
remove the determined offset from the obtained first positioning reference signal and the second positioning information reference signal(P[0075], RTD may be zero or known value);
and
determine a joint positioning information by using the first and the second positioning information([0128], mobile device position; frequency bias compensation).
Fischer did not teach specifically estimate a clock frequency offset between the first network and the second network using a physical random access channel (PRACH), the first reference signal, and the second reference signal. However, Chavva teaches in an analogous art estimate a clock frequency difference offset between the first network and the second network using a physical random access channel (PRACH), the first reference signal, and the second reference signal(P[0014], UE can estimate frequency offset using the reference signals; UE can receive/transmit a physical random access channel; PRACH ; P[0111-0114], perform measurement of signal from the neighboring gNB). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to have estimate a clock frequency difference offset between the first network and the second network using a physical random access channel (PRACH), the first positioning reference signal, and the second positioning reference signal in order to have efficient tracking of frequency.
Fischer in view of Chavva did not teach specifically first subscription and second subscription. However, Kumar teaches in an analogous art first subscription and second subscription(title and abstract). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to have first subscription and second subscription in order to have wider applicability.
Regarding claim 2, Fischer in view of Kumar teaches an apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is further caused to obtain the first positioning reference signal configuration after transmitting a first positioning request to the first serving access node(Kumar: Fig. 3, provide assistance data; also col. 13, lines 39-42, assistance data for a first candidate subscription; SIM-1).
Regarding claim 3, Fischer in view of Kumar teaches an apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is further caused to obtain the second positioning reference signal configuration after transmitting a second positioning request to the first serving access node(Kumar: Fig. 3, provide assistance data; also col. 13, lines 45-48, assistance data for a second candidate subscription; SIM-2).
Regarding claim 5, Fischer in view of Kumar teaches an (apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first positioning reference signal configuration is obtained from a frequency band used by the first network and the second positioning reference signal configuration is obtained from another frequency band used by the second network(Fischer: P[0049], base stations operating on different carrier frequencies F1 and F2).
Regarding claim6, Fischer in view of Kumar teaches an apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises multiple receiver chains(Fischer: fig. 8, items 882, 884).
Regarding claim 7, Fischer in view of Kumar teaches an apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is further caused to transmit the joint positioning information(Fischer: P[0144], mobile device sends the compensated measurement to the server).
Regarding claim 8, Fischer in view of Kumar teaches an apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the first or second positioning information comprises received signal time difference or downlink time difference of arrival(Fischer: P[0142], OTDOA between the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal).
Regarding claim 9, Fischer in view of Kumar teaches an apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the joint positioning information comprises an estimate of the location of the apparatus(Fischer: P[0144], determine a position of the mobile device based on compensated measurement).
Regarding claim 10, Fischer in view of Kumar teaches an apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is further caused to use the first positioning reference signal configuration or the second positioning reference signal configuration for obtaining positioning information with respect to both the first and the second network(Fischer: P[0142], difference between the first frequency of the first positioning signal and the second frequency of the second positioning signal; inter frequency bias compensation in the measurements).
Regarding claim 11, Fischer in view of Kumar teaches an apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a terminal device(Fischer: abstract).
Claims 11-13, 16-17, 19-22 are rejected for the same reason as set forth in claims 1, 1-3, 5-8 respectively.
Claim(s) 4, 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fischer et al. (hereinafter Fischer)(US 2016/0234709) in view of Chavva et al. (hereinafter Chavva)(US 2022/0070026), Kumar et al. (hereinafter Kumar)(US 9820091) and Bitra et al. (hereinafter Bitra)(US 2018/0184452).
Regarding claim 4, Fischer in view of Chavva and Kumar teaches all the particulars of the claim except an apparatus, wherein at least one of the following: the first positioning reference signal configuration or the second positioning reference signal configurations are obtained as broadcasts. However, Bitra teaches in an analogous art, wherein at least one of the following: the first positioning reference signal configuration or the second positioning reference signal configurations are obtained as broadcasts(P[0044], PRS positioning signals being broadcast). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to have at least one of the following: the first positioning reference signal configuration or the second positioning reference signal configurations are obtained as broadcasts in order to have improved efficiency.
Claim 18 is rejected for the same reason as set forth in claim 4.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
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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/MUTHUSWAMY G MANOHARAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2647
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