Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
DETAILED ACTION
This is response to Application 18/264,198 filed on 08/03/2023 in which claims 1-30 are presented for examination.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-14, 17, 18, and 27-29 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
35 U.S.C. 112(f)
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
CLAIM INTERPRETATION
Use of the word “means” (or “step for”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim element is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) (pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph). The presumption that § 112(f) (pre-AIA § 112, sixth paragraph) is invoked is rebutted when the function is recited with sufficient structure, material, or acts within the claim itself to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim elements in this application that use the word “means” (or “step for”) are presumed to invoke § 112(f) except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
Since the claim limitation(s) invokes 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, claim 30 has been interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification that achieves the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
A review of the specification shows that the following appears to be the corresponding structure described in the specification for the 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph limitation: Figures 3 and 13 in the instant application recite all corresponding structures and/or specific algorithm for each sections and "step for” above.
If applicant wishes to provide further explanation or dispute the examiner’s interpretation of the corresponding structure, applicant must identify the corresponding structure with reference to the specification by page and line number, and to the drawing, if any, by reference characters in response to this Office action.
If applicant does not intend to have the claim limitation(s) treated under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112 , sixth paragraph, applicant may amend the claim(s) so that it/they will clearly not invoke 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, or present a sufficient showing that the claim recites/recite sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function to preclude application of 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
For more information, see MPEP § 2173 et seq. and Supplementary Examination Guidelines for Determining Compliance With 35 U.S.C. 112 and for Treatment of Related Issues in Patent Applications, 76 FR 7162, 7167 (Feb. 9, 2011).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-7, 21-26, and 30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Wang et al. (US 2021/0219254 A1).
1. Regarding claim 1, Wang teaches a method for determining a timing error group associated with internal timing errors of a first station (Fig. 2 Paragraphs [0049] and [0087] time synchronization method; plurality of base stations), comprising:
receiving a reference signal including embedded timing error group information from the first station (Fig. 2 Paragraph [0063] receive second reference signal with receiving time of the first reference signal and/or sending time of second reference signal); and
determining a timing group error value based at least in part on the embedded timing error group information (Fig. 2 S204, calculate timing error).
2. Regarding claim 21, Wang teaches an apparatus (Fig. 4 and 5), comprising:
a memory (Figure 5, 501);
at least one transceiver (Figure 5, 503);
at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver (Figure 5, 502), and configured to:
determine timing error information associated with a reference signal; embed the timing error information in the reference signal (Fig. 2 S203, S204, calculate timing error): and transmit the reference signal including the embedded timing error information (Fig. 2 Paragraph [0063] receive second reference signal with receiving time of the first reference signal and/or sending time of second reference signal).
3. Regarding claim 2, Wang teaches further comprising transmitting the timing group error value to a second station (Paragraph [0083] timing error sent to the second node).
4. Regarding claims 3 and 24, Wang teaches wherein the embedded timing error group information is embedded in a symbol in the reference signal (Paragraphs [0059] to [0063] second reference signal includes at least one of PRS, CSI-RS, PTRS, DMRS or SSB).
5. Regarding claims 4 and 25, Wang teaches wherein the embedded timing error group information is embedded in a group of symbols in the reference signal (Paragraphs [0059] to [0063] second reference signal includes at least one of PRS, CSI-RS, PTRS, DMRS or SSB).
6. Regarding claim 5, Wang teaches wherein the group of symbols includes non-consecutive symbols in the reference signal (Paragraphs [0059] to [0063] second reference signal includes at least one of PRS, CSI-RS, PTRS, DMRS or SSB).
7. Regarding claims 6 and 26, Wang teaches wherein the embedded timing error group information is embedded in each symbol of the reference signal (Paragraphs [0059] to [0063] sending manner of the receiving time and the sending time of second reference signal is not limited).
8. Regarding claim 7, Wang teaches wherein the reference signal is based on one reference signal resource in a set of reference signal resources, wherein the embedded timing error group information is embedded in each reference signal resource in the set of reference signal resources (Paragraphs [0059] to [0063] second reference signal includes at least one of PRS, CSI-RS, PTRS, DMRS or SSB; sending manner of the receiving time and the sending time of second reference signal is not limited).
9. Regarding claim 22, Wang teaches transmit one or more signaling messages including the timing error information (Paragraph [0083] timing error sent to the second node).
10. Regarding claim 23, Wang teaches wherein the one or more signaling messages includes a medium access control control element (Wang Paragraph [0064] RS time information in MAC element).
11. Regarding claim 30, Wang teaches an apparatus for determining a timing error group associated with internal timing errors of a first station (Fig. 2 and 4 Paragraph [0063] receive second reference signal with receiving time of the first reference signal and/or sending time of second reference signal), comprising:
means for receiving a reference signal including embedded timing error group information from the first station (Fig. 2 and 4; Paragraphs [0059] and [0063] receive second reference signal with receiving time of the first reference signal and/or sending time of second reference signal; sending manner of the receiving time and the sending time of second reference signal is not limited) and
means for determining a timing group error value based at least in part on the embedded timing error group information (Fig. 2 and 4; S203, S204, calculate timing error).
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.
Claims 15, 16, 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cha et al. (US 2022/0124664 A1) in view of Wang et al. (US 2021/0219254 A1).
12. Regarding claim 15, Cha teaches an apparatus (Figure 17 and 18 location server), comprising:
a memory;
at least one transceiver;
at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, and configured to:
receive a request for positioning information from a network server, the request including assistance data with reference signal transmission properties and configuration information (Figs 17 and 18 location server transmit a PRS reference configuration and/or PRS measurement configuration);
configure reference signal resources based at least in part on the configuration information (Paragraphs [0336] to [0338] PRS reference configuration based on PRS measurement; change PRS resources); and
transmit a positioning information response message including reference signal resource configuration information to the network server (Paragraph [0336] and [0344] provide information about reference PRS resource).
Cha does not explicitly disclose timing error group configuration.
Wang teaches timing error group configuration information (Fig. 2 Paragraphs [0049] and [0087] time synchronization method; plurality of base stations).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide timing error group configuration information as taught by Wang in the system of Cha for performing timing error measurement on a target terminal see abstract of Wang.
13. Regarding claim 16, Cha in view of Wang teaches wherein the at least one processor is further configured to transmit one or more reference signal resources including the timing error group configuration information to a target user equipment (Wang, Paragraphs [0059] to [0063] second reference signal includes at least one of PRS, CSI-RS, PTRS, DMRS or SSB; sending manner of the receiving time and the sending time of second reference signal is not limited).
14. Regarding claim 19, Cha in view of Wang teaches wherein the timing error group configuration information in the request for positioning information includes an indication of one or more reference signal resources to be embedded with one or more timing error group configurations (Wang, Paragraphs [0059] to [0063] second reference signal includes at least one of PRS, CSI-RS, PTRS, DMRS or SSB; sending manner of the receiving time and the sending time of second reference signal is not limited).
15. Regarding claim 20, Cha in view of Wang teaches wherein the reference signal transmission properties include at least one of a pathloss reference, spatial relation information, and synchronization signal block configuration information (Wang, Paragraphs [0059] to [0063] second reference signal includes at least one of PRS, CSI-RS, PTRS, DMRS or SSB).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure:
Ernstrom et al. (US 2023/0184871 A1) Paragraph [0572] timing error group associations
Yang et al. (US 2022/0150857 A1) Paragraph [0175] sidelink and timing error
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DIANE LEE LO whose telephone number is (571)270-1952. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8 am - 5 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Faruk Hamza can be reached at (571)272-7969. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DIANE L LO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2466