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 submitted on have been considered by the examiner and made of record in the application file.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
(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 1-4,7,8,9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being unpatentable over Go et al. (US 12335190, hereinafter Go)
Regarding claim 1, Go discloses a method performed by a user equipment (UE) for positioning of the UE (Col. 3: Lines 6-10; The UE is configured to transmit SRS with a usage value that includes positioning, such that the SRS transmissions are used by the network for positioning of the UE), the method comprising:
receiving a configuration for a sounding reference signal (SRS) periodic burst transmissions comprising a plurality of sets of SRS transmissions (Col. 35: Lines 57-59; The terminal receives configuration information related to N SRS resource sets from a base station. N is a natural number; Col. 35: Lines 67 and Col. 36: Lines 1-2; Configuration information includes periodic transmission information for each SRS resource set; The UE receives configuration from the base station that defines multiple SRS resource sets, where each SRS resource set represents a set of SRS transmissions, and the configuration specifies that the SRS transmissions operate periodically), each set of SRS transmissions comprising a repetition of SRS resources (Col. 33: Lines 29-30; Each SRS resource set may include one or more SRS resources; The M (M is a natural number) SRS resource sets may be repeatedly transmitted many times over many time slots; Each SRS resource set includes one or more SRS resources, and the SRS resource sets are transmitted repeatedly over multiple slots, such that each comprises a repetition of SRS resources), wherein the configuration for the SRS periodic burst transmissions comprises a start time for the SRS periodic burst transmissions (Col. 3: Lines 29-35; The SRS configuration specifies a starting position (time) that defines when the SRS transmissions begin), a repetition configuration for the SRS resources (Col. 23: Table 8: Lines 31-33; The configuration includes repetition parameters (repetitionFactor) that defines how many times individual SRS resources are transmitted), and a repetition configuration for the plurality of sets of SRS transmissions (Col. 34: Lines 41-43; The SRS for one resource set may be indicated (configured) to me transmitted multiple times over multiple slots); and
transmitting the SRS periodic burst transmissions to one or more base stations for positioning (Col. 37: Lines 5-8; The UE transmits the SRS resource sets to the base station).
Regarding claim 2 as applied to claim 1, Go discloses wherein the start time for the SRS periodic burst transmission comprises a starting slot or slot offset (Col. 3: Lines 29-35; The SRS configuration specifies a starting position (time) that defines when the SRS transmissions begin; Col. 24: Lines 18-22; The SRS configuration indicates an offset value based on the configuration start parameter and specifies a starting position within a slot).
Regarding claim 3 as applied to claim 1, Go discloses wherein the repetition configuration for the SRS resources comprises an SRS resource period (Col. 23: Table 8: Lines 48-50; The SRS resource configuration includes a repetition/periodicity parameter via SRS-PeriodicityAndOffset for periodic SRS resources).
Regarding claim 4 as applied to claim 1, Go discloses wherein the repetition configuration for the plurality of sets of SRS transmissions comprises a period for the plurality of sets of SRS transmissions (Col. 35: Lines 67 and Col. 36: Lines 1-2; Configuration information includes periodic transmission information for each SRS resource set; Col. 33: Lines 29-30; Each SRS resource set may include one or more SRS resources; The M (M is a natural number) SRS resource sets may be repeatedly transmitted many times over many time slots; SRS resource sets are configured for periodic transmission and repeatedly transmitted over multiple slots).
Regarding claim 7, the rejection of claim 1 addresses the limitations presented in claim 7. Therefore, the limitations of claim 7 have been addressed.
A UE capable of performing the recited functions necessarily includes a wireless transceiver, memory, and a processor.
Regarding claim 8 as applied to claim 7, the rejection of claim 2 addresses the limitations presented in claim 8. Therefore, the limitations of claim 8 have been addressed.
Regarding claim 9 as applied to claim 7, the rejection of claim 3 addresses the limitations presented in claim 9. Therefore, the limitations of claim 9 have been addressed.
Regarding claim 10 as applied to claim 7, the rejection of claim 4 addresses the limitations presented in claim 10. Therefore, the limitations of claim 10 have been addressed.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 5,11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Go et al. (US 12335190, hereinafter Go) in view of Yang et al. (CN 113225815, hereinafter Yang) in further view of Shi (WO 2020087369)
Regarding claim 5 as applied to claim 1, Go discloses SRS periodic burst transmissions (as detailed in the rejection of claim 1), but does not disclose wherein the configuration for the SRS periodic burst transmissions is received in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) configuration message that activates the SRS periodic burst transmissions, the method further comprising receiving a RRC reconfiguration message that deactivates the SRS periodic burst transmission.
Yang however, discloses activating SRS transmissions via a received RRC configuration message (Page. 6: Lines 35-36; For periodic SRS, the network configures SRS resources through RRC signaling; Page. 6: Lines 35-37; SRS related configuration provided via RRC are selectively activated by the network; The RRC configuration serves as the mechanism by which SRS transmissions are enabled).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Go’s disclosed SRS periodic burst transmissions to be configured and activated via an RRC configuration message, as taught by Yang, in order to allow the network to centrally and dynamically enable Go’s periodic burst SRS transmissions using standardized higher-layer signaling, while preserving Go’s periodic burst transmission structure and improving manageability and coordination of SRS operation.
Go in view of Yang does not disclose receiving a RRC reconfiguration message that deactivates the SRS periodic burst transmission.
Shi, however, discloses receiving a RRC reconfiguration message that deactivates burst transmissions (Page 8: Lines 37-41; Upon a trigger condition, the system performs an RRC reconfiguration that includes releasing all configured SRS; Releasing all SRS de-configures the SRS resources, thereby stopping/deactivating SRS transmissions).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified Go’s disclosed SRS periodic burst transmissions, as combined with Yang, to be deactivated via an RRC reconfiguration message, as taught by Shi, in order to release SRS resources associated with Go’s periodic burst transmissions when triggering conditions occur, thereby stopping unnecessary burst transmissions and improving resource efficiency and UE power consumption.
Regarding claim 11 as applied to claim 7, the rejection of claim 5 addresses the limitations presented in claim 11. Therefore, the limitations of claim 11 have been addressed.
Claims 6,12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Go et al. (US 12335190, hereinafter Go) in view of You et al. (WO 2021087912, hereinafter You)
Regarding claim 6 as applied to claim 1, Go discloses configuration for SRS periodic burst transmissions (as detailed in the rejection of claim 1), but does not disclose wherein the configuration for the SRS periodic burst transmissions is received in a first Medium Access Control – Control Element (MAC-CE) message that activates the SRS periodic burst transmissions, the method further comprising receiving a second MAC-CE message that deactivates the SRS periodic burst transmission.
You, however, discloses a MAC-CE that activates and deactivates SRS transmissions (Page 2: Background Technique: Lines 9-10; The network may activate or deactivate one of the SRS resource sets through a MAC-CE).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Go such that the configuration/control for Go’s SRS periodic burst transmissions is provided via MAC-CE signaling that activates and deactivates the SRS transmissions, as taught by You, i.e., to receive a first MAC-CE to enable/activate the SRS transmissions and to receive a second MAC-CE to disable/deactivate the SRS transmissions, in order to provide a low-latency, reduced-overhead, and dynamically controllable mechanism for starting and stopping SRS transmissions (including Go’s periodic burst SRS transmissions) without requiring higher-layer RRC reconfiguration, thereby improving signaling efficiency and responsiveness to changing network/UE conditions.
Regarding claim 12 as applied to claim 7, the rejection of claim 6 addresses the limitations presented in claim 12. Therefore, the limitations of claim 12 have been addressed.
Claims 13,14,15,16,17,18,21,22,23,24,25,26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Go et al. (US 12335190, hereinafter Go) in view of Zarifi et al. (US 20200358576, hereinafter Zarifi)
Regarding claim 13, Go discloses a method performed by a network entity for positioning of a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:
sending to the UE a configuration for sounding reference signal (SRS) periodic burst transmissions comprising a plurality of sets of SRS transmissions (Col. 35: Lines 57-59; The terminal receives configuration information related to N SRS resource sets from a base station. N is a natural number; Col. 35: Lines 67 and Col. 36: Lines 1-2; Configuration information includes periodic transmission information for each SRS resource set; The UE receives configuration from the base station that defines multiple SRS resource sets, where each SRS resource set represents a set of SRS transmissions, and the configuration specifies that the SRS transmissions operate periodically), each set of SRS transmissions comprising a repetition of SRS resources (Col. 33: Lines 29-30; Each SRS resource set may include one or more SRS resources; The M (M is a natural number) SRS resource sets may be repeatedly transmitted many times over many time slots; Each SRS resource set includes one or more SRS resources, and the SRS resource sets are transmitted repeatedly over multiple slots, such that each comprises a repetition of SRS resources), wherein the configuration for the SRS periodic burst transmissions comprises a start time for the SRS periodic burst transmissions (Col. 3: Lines 29-35; The SRS configuration specifies a starting position (time) that defines when the SRS transmissions begin), a repetition configuration for the SRS resources (Col. 23: Table 8: Lines 31-33; The configuration includes repetition parameters (repetitionFactor) that defines how many times individual SRS resources are transmitted), and a repetition configuration for the plurality of sets of SRS transmissions (Col. 34: Lines 41-43; The SRS for one resource set may be indicated (configured) to me transmitted multiple times over multiple slots).
Go does not disclose obtaining position measurements for each set of SRS transmissions transmitted by the UE, wherein a plurality of position estimates for the UE are determined, wherein each position estimate is based on the position measurements for an associated set of SRS transmissions.
Zarifi, however discloses obtaining position measurements for SRS transmissions transmitted by the UE (Par. 103: Lines 5-16; The UE sends SRS transmission to the base station to obtain position measurements), determining a position estimate for the UE (Par. 103: 11-16; The LMF requests positioning measurements from the base station and derives the UE position), wherein the position estimate is based on the position measurement for the associated SRS transmission (Par. 103: Lines 5-16; The UE sends SRS transmission to the base station to obtain position measurements. Those position measurements are sent to an LMF to obtain the position of the UE; The position is associated with the SRS transmission).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Go to obtain positioning measurements for each configured set of SRS transmissions and to determine a corresponding plurality of UE position estimates, as taught by Zarifi, because Go already discloses configuring multiple periodic SRS resource sets and Zarifi teaches using SRS-based uplink measurements collected by network entities and provided to a location management function to derive UE position estimates, and applying this known positioning procedure on a per-SRS-set basis represents a predictable use of prior art techniques to enable network-based positioning using the multiple SRS transmission sets configured in Go.
Regarding claim 14 as applied to claim 13, Go in view of Zarifi discloses obtaining the position measurements for each set of SRS transmission comprises generating the position measurements for each set of SRS transmissions transmitted by the UE (as detailed in the rejection of claim 13).
Go does not disclose wherein the network entity is a base station and the method further comprises sending the positioning measurements to a location server for determining the plurality of position estimates for the UE.
Zarifi, however, discloses wherein the network entity is a base station (Par. 103: Lines 5-16; The UE sends SRS transmission to the base station to obtain position measurements) and sending the positioning measurements to a location server for determining a position estimate for the UE (Par. 103: 11-16; The LMF (location server) requests positioning measurements from the base station and derives the UE position).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the network entity of Go as a base station and to transmit the positioning measurements for each set of SRS transmissions to a location server for determining the plurality of UE position estimates, as taught by Zarifi, in order to enable centralized position determination and processing at the location server, thereby improving positioning accuracy and coordination while using existing SRS-based measurement and reporting mechanisms in a predictable manner.
Regarding claim 15 in view of 13, Go in view of Zarifi discloses obtaining the position measurements for each set of SRS transmission comprises generating the position measurements for each set of SRS transmissions transmitted by the UE (as detailed in the rejection of claim 13).
Go does not disclose wherein the network entity is a location server, the location server receives the position measurements for each set of SRS transmissions from one or more base stations, and determines the plurality of position estimates for the UE based on the received positioning measurements.
Zarifi, however, discloses a location server receiving the position measurements for a SRS transmission from a base station (Par. 103: 11-16; The LMF (location server) requests positioning measurements from the base station and derives the UE position), and determining a position estimate for the UE based on the positioning measurement (Par. 103: Lines 5-16; The UE sends SRS transmission to the base station to obtain position measurements. Those position measurements are sent to an LMF to obtain the position of the UE; The position is associated with the SRS transmission)..
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Go to employ a location server (e.g., LMF) as the recited network entity that receives, from one or more base stations, the positioning measurements generated for each set of SRS transmissions and determines the corresponding plurality of UE position estimates based on the received positioning measurements, as taught by Zarifi, in order to centralize SRS-based positioning processing and improve coordination/consistency of UE positioning by allowing a dedicated positioning node to collect measurements from multiple measuring entities and compute the UE position.
Regarding claim 16 as applied to claim 13, the rejection of claim 2 addresses the limitations presented in claim 16. Therefore, the limitations of claim 16 have been addressed.
Regarding claim 17 as applied to claim 13, the rejection of claim 3 addresses the limitations presented in claim 17. Therefore, the limitations of claim 17 have been addressed.
Regarding claim 18 as applied to claim 13, the rejection of claim 4 addresses the limitations presented in claim 18. Therefore, the limitations of claim 18 have been addressed.
Regarding claim 21, the rejection of claim 13 addresses the limitations presented in claim 21. Therefore, the limitations of claim 21 have been addressed.
A network entity capable of perming the recited functions necessarily includes a memory and a processor.
Regarding claim 22 as applied to claim 21, the rejection of claim 14 addresses the limitations presented in claim 22. Therefore, the limitations of claim 22 have been addressed.
Regarding claim 23 as applied to claim 21, the rejection of claim 15 addresses the limitations presented in claim 23. Therefore, the limitations of claim 23 have been addressed.
Regarding claim 24 as applied to claim 21, the rejection of claim 2 addresses the limitations presented in claim 24. Therefore, the limitations of claim 24 have been addressed.
Regarding claim 25 as applied to claim 21, the rejection of claim 3 addresses the limitations presented in claim 25. Therefore, the limitations of claim 25 have been addressed.
Regarding claim 26 as applied to claim 21, the rejection of claim 4 addresses the limitations presented in claim 26. Therefore, the limitations of claim 26 have been addressed.
Claims 19,27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Go et al. (US 12335190, hereinafter Go) in view of Zarifi et al. (US 20200358576, hereinafter Zarifi) in further view of Yang et al. (CN 113225815, hereinafter Yang) in further view of Shi (WO 2020087369)
Regarding claim 19 as applied to claim 13, the rejection of claim 5 addresses the limitations presented in claim 19. Therefore, the limitations of claim 19 have been addressed.
Regarding claim 27 as applied to claim 21, the rejection of claim 5 addresses the limitations presented in claim 27. Therefore, the limitations of claim 27 have been addressed.
Claims 20,28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Go et al. (US 12335190, hereinafter Go) in view of Zarifi et al. (US 20200358576, hereinafter Zarifi) in further view of You et al. (WO 2021087912, hereinafter You)
Regarding claim 20 as applied to claim 13, the rejection of claim 6 addresses the limitations presented in claim 20. Therefore, the limitations of claim 20 have been addressed.
Regarding claim 28 as applied to claim 21, the rejection of claim 6 addresses the limitations presented in claim 28. Therefore, the limitations of claim 28 have been addressed.
Conclusion
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/FABIAN BOTELLO/Examiner, Art Unit 2648
/WESLEY L KIM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2648