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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/29/2023 and 10/24/2024 have been considered by the examiner.
Preliminary Amendment
The present Office Action is based upon the original patent application filed on September 29, 2023 as modified by the preliminary amendment filed on October 24, 2024. Claims 34-53 are now pending in the present application.
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 34-53 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Park et al. (US 2021/0385784).
Regarding claims 34, 40, and 47, Park discloses a wireless device, a network node, and a method for determining a location of an object (Abstract; Claim 1; e.g., determining, with the first wireless device, a location of the object based on the location of the second wireless device, the ToF, and the AoA), the method comprising:
obtaining information comprising
(a) a first angle-of-arrival parameter and/or first angle-of-departure parameter corresponding to a non-primary propagation path of a radio signal transmitted between a first wireless device and a second wireless device (Figs. 3B and 5; paragraphs [0024], [0064]; e.g., The user's wireless device then determines the ToF and the AoA of the reference signal, assuming a direct line-of-sight (LOS) between the wireless base station and the user's wireless device),
and further comprising:
(b) a delay measurement or time-of-arrival measurement for the non-primary propagation path (Fig. 4B and Fig. 5; paragraphs [0069], [0086], [0089]; e.g., see an AoA for received signals, e.g., wireless signals following the reflected path 342a-b.); and
estimating a location for an object other than the first and second wireless devices, based on the obtained information (paragraphs [0066], [0069]; e.g., a wireless device determines both a ToF and an AoA for received signals, e.g., wireless signals following the reflected path 342a-b. Thus, depending on which wireless device 310, 320 receives the reflected signal 342a-b, the AoA will correspond to one of θ1 or θ2. The location of the object can then be calculated based on the properties of the ellipse). It is noted that the limitation “(c) a second angle-of-arrival parameter and/or second angle-of-departure parameter corresponding to the non-primary propagation path, the second angle-of-arrival parameter and second angle-of-departure parameter corresponding to a different end of the non-primary propagation path to the first angle-of-arrival parameter and angle-of-departure parameter” is omitted to address due to alternative claimed such as “and/or”.
Regarding claims 35, 41, and 48, Park discloses the method, the wireless device, and the network node of claims 34, 40, and 47, wherein:
obtaining the first angle-of-arrival parameter or first angle-of-departure parameter comprises measuring the first angle-of-arrival parameter or first angle-of-departure parameter based on at least one signal transmitted between the first and second wireless devices (paragraphs [0003], [0069]; e.g., which wireless device 310, 320 receives the reflected signal 342a-b, the AoA will correspond to one of θ1 or θ2); and
obtaining the delay measurement or the time-of-arrival measurement or the second angle-of-arrival parameter or the second angle-of-departure parameter comprises measuring the delay measurement or the time-of-arrival measurement or the second angle-of-arrival parameter or the second angle-of-departure parameter based on at least one signal transmitted between the first and second wireless devices (paragraph [0089]; e.g., determining ToF and AoA of a received wireless signal may include a radio receiver and antenna and software to determine a time-difference of arrival of the signal at different elements of the antenna).
Regarding claims 36, 42, and 49, Park discloses the method, the wireless device, and the network node of claims 34, 40, and 47, wherein:
the method is performed by a first one of the first and second wireless devices (paragraph [0087]; e.g., the first wireless device itself may determine the ToF and AoA to obtain those parameters);
obtaining the first angle-of-arrival parameter or first angle-of-departure parameter comprises receiving the first angle-of-arrival parameter or first angle-of-departure parameter from the other of the first and second wireless devices (paragraphs [0069], [0088]; e.g., obtaining the ToF and the AoA of the WWAN reference signal); and
obtaining the delay measurement or the time-of-arrival measurement or the second angle-of-arrival parameter or the second angle-of-departure parameter comprises measuring the delay measurement or the time-of-arrival measurement or the second angle-of-arrival parameter or the second angle-of-departure parameter based on at least one signal transmitted between the first and second wireless devices (paragraphs [0060], [0089];e .g, determine a time-difference of arrival of the signal).
Regarding claims 37 and 43, Park discloses the method and the wireless device of claims 34 and 40, wherein:
the method is performed by a first one of the first and second wireless devices (paragraph [0087]; e.g., the first wireless device itself may determine the ToF and AoA to obtain those parameters);
obtaining the first angle-of-arrival parameter or first angle-of-departure parameter comprises receiving the first angle-of-arrival parameter or first angle-of-departure parameter from the other of the first and second wireless devices(paragraphs [0069], [0088]); and
obtaining the delay measurement or the time-of-arrival measurement or the second angle-of-arrival parameter or the second angle-of-departure parameter comprises receiving the delay measurement or the time-of-arrival measurement or the second angle-of-arrival parameter or the second angle-of-departure parameter from the other of the first and second wireless devices (paragraphs [0060], [0089]).
Regarding claims 38, 44, and 50, Park discloses the method, the wireless device, and the network node of claims 34, 40, and 47, wherein:
estimating the location of the object is performed based further on location information for the first and/or second wireless devices (paragraphs [0029], [0033], [0038]; e.g., the positioning system 100 can estimate a location of the UE 105 based on RF signals received by and/or sent from the UE 105 and known locations of other components (e.g., GNSS satellites 110, base stations 120, Aps 130) transmitting and/or receiving the RF signals), and
wherein the method further comprises receiving, from at least one of the first and second wireless devices, location information for at least one of the first and second wireless devices (paragraphs [0033], [0039]).
Regarding claims 39, 45, and 51, Park discloses the method, the wireless device, and the network node of claims 34, 40, and 52, wherein:
the method is performed by a first one of the first and second wireless devices and comprises reporting the estimated location for the object to the other one of the first and second wireless devices (paragraphs [0032], [0064], [0076]).
Regarding claims 46 and 53, Park discloses the wireless device and the network node of claims 40 and 47, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to compare the estimated location to a digital map of scatterers to determine whether the estimated location corresponds to an already identified scatterer or corresponds to a potentially new scatterer (paragraphs [0044], [0091]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TIMOTHY X PHAM whose telephone number is (571)270-7115. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri: 8:30-5:00.
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/TIMOTHY X PHAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3648