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 .
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 1-3, 5, 6, 11-15, 18, 19, and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Quan et al US 12,526,877 (hereinafter Quan).
Regarding claim 1, Quan a positioning measurement method (See fig. 5), performed by a terminal device (UE, see col. 17, line 1), the method comprising:
transmitting an uplink sounding reference signal (SRS) signal (S505, see fig. 5, col. 17, lines 36-40), according to an SRS resource configuration (SRS resource configuration information, see col. 17, lines 14-15) configured by a service network device (base station, see col. 17, lines 14-19) for the terminal device to perform an SRS-based positioning measurement in an inactive state (S503, see fig. 5, col.17, lines 14-28), so that the service network device and an adjacent service network device (one or more base stations, see S503, col. 17, lines 14-19) perform the SRS-based positioning measurement (S505, S507, see fig. 5, col. 17, lines 36-40, col. 18, lines 6-12).
Regarding claim 2 as applied to claim 1, Quan further discloses receiving a positioning capability request message transmitted by a location management unit (LMF) (see col. 13, lines 52-65); and transmitting a positioning capability feedback message to a positioning server in response to the positioning capability request message, wherein the positioning capability feedback message comprises positioning measurement capability information supported by the terminal device and state indication information of the terminal device (see col. 13, lines 52 – col. 14, line 10).
Regarding claim 3 as applied to claim 2, Quan further discloses wherein the SRS resource configuration is configured by the service network device for the terminal device via a radio resource control (RRC) connection release message when the terminal device is in a connected state (S504, see fig. 5, col. 17, lines 29-31); or wherein the SRS resource configuration is configured by the service network device and transmitted to a location management unit (LMF), and transmitted by the LMF to the terminal device.
Regarding claim 5 as applied to claim 1, Quan further discloses wherein transmitting the uplink sounding reference signal (SRS) signal, according to SRS resource configuration configured by the service network device for the terminal device to perform the SRS-based positioning measurement in the inactive state, comprises: receiving an SRS transmission activation request command in the inactive state; and transmitting the uplink SRS signal according to the SRS resource configuration, in response to the received SRS transmission activation request command (see col. 17, lines 14-19).
Regarding claim 6 as applied to claim 5, Quan further discloses wherein receiving the SRS transmission activation request command comprises: receiving the SRS transmission activation request command transmitted by a location management unit (LMF) (see col. 17, lines 14-19); or receiving a first paging message transmitted by the service network device, wherein the first paging message carries the SRS transmission activation request command; wherein the first paging message is transmitted by the service network device after receiving an SRS-based positioning measurement request transmitted by the LMF.
Regarding claim 11, Quan discloses a positioning measurement method (see fig. 5), performed by a location management unit (LMF) (LMF entity, see col. 17, line 6), the method comprising:
receiving a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource configuration (SRS resource configuration information, see col. 17, lines 14-15) transmitted by a service network device (base station transmits SRS resource configuration information to the LMF entity, S503, see fig. 5, col. 17, lines 14-15), wherein the SRS resource configuration is configuration information configured by the service network device for a terminal device (UE, see col. 17, line 1) to perform an SRS-based positioning measurement in an inactive state (see fig. 5, S505, col. 17, lines 36-40); and
transmitting the SRS resource configuration to the terminal device (S503, see fig. 5, col. 17, lines 14-19), so that the terminal device transmits an uplink SRS signal according to the SRS resource configuration in the inactive state (S505, see fig. 5, col. 17, lines 36-40).
Regarding claim 12 as applied to claim 11, Quan further discloses transmitting a positioning capability request message to the terminal device (see col. 13, lines 52-65); and receiving a positioning capability feedback message transmitted by the terminal device, wherein the positioning capability feedback message comprises positioning measurement capability information supported by the terminal device and state indication information of the terminal device (see col. 13, lines 52 – col. 14, line 10).
Regarding claim 13 as applied to claim 11, Quan further discloses transmitting an activation request command to the terminal device, wherein the activation request command is configured to indicate the terminal device to transmit the uplink SRS signal according to the SRS resource configuration (S503, see col. 17, lines 4-19).
Regarding claim 14 as applied to claim 11, Quan further discloses transmitting an SRS-based positioning measurement request to the service network device, so that the service network device transmits a first paging message to the terminal device after receiving the SRS-based positioning measurement request, the first paging message carrying an activation request command, wherein the activation request command
is configured to indicate the terminal device to transmit the uplink SRS signal according to the SRS resource configuration (S503, see fig. 5, col. 17, lines 14-19).
Regarding claim 15 as applied to claim 11, Quan further discloses transmitting an SRS-based positioning measurement request to the service network device, and transmitting the SRS-based positioning measurement request and the SRS resource configuration to an adjacent service network device (S503, see fig. 5, col. 17, lines 14-19).
Regarding claim 18 as applied to claim 11, Quan further discloses transmitting positioning measurement stop request information to the service network device and an adjacent service network device (see col. 17, lines 14-19 and 51-67).
Regarding claim 19, Quan discloses a positioning measurement method (see fig. 5), performed by a service network device (base station, see col. 17, line 1), the method comprising:
configuring a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource configuration (S503, see fig. 5, col.17, lines 14-28) for a terminal device (UE, see col. 17, line 1) to perform an SRS-based positioning measurement in an inactive state (see fig. 5, S505, col. 17, lines 36-40); transmitting the configured SRS resource configuration to a location management unit (LMF) (base station transmits SRS resource configuration information to the LMF entity, S503, see fig. 5, col. 17, lines 14-15), so that the LMF transmits the SRS resource configuration to the terminal device (S503, see fig. 5, col. 17, lines 14-19), and
the terminal device transmits an uplink SRS signal according to the SRS resource configuration (S505, see fig. 5, col. 17, lines 36-40); and performing the SRS-based positioning measurement (S505, S507, see fig. 5, col. 17, lines 36-40, col. 18, lines 6-12).
Regarding claim 23 as applied to claim 19, Quan further discloses receiving positioning measurement stop request information transmitted by the LMF (see col. 17, lines 20-28 and 51-67).
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 8, 9, 16, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Quan et al US 12,526,877 (hereinafter Quan) in view of Manolakos et al US 20240168121 (hereinafter Manolakos).
Regarding claim 8 as applied to claim 5, Quan discloses the claimed invention except receiving an SRS transmission deactivation request command; and stopping transmitting the uplink SRS signal in response to the received SRS transmission deactivation request command. However, in a similar field of endeavor, Manolakos discloses a method performed by a terminal device comprising (UE, see [0158]) receiving an SRS transmission deactivation request command (see [0158], [0172]); and stopping transmitting the uplink SRS signal in response to the received SRS transmission deactivation request command (see [0158], [0172]).
It would therefore have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Manolakos with Quan with a reasonable expectation of success, by transmitting a deactivation message to the terminal device/UE, as taught by Manolakos, for the benefit of performing wireless positioning efficiently and accurately, for assisting in providing accurate location for emergencies, for example.
Regarding claim 9 as applied to claim 8, the combination of Quan and Manolakos disclose the claimed invention. Manolakos further discloses wherein receiving the SRS transmission deactivation request command comprises:
receiving the SRS transmission deactivation request command transmitted by a location management unit (LMF) (see [0158], [0172]); or receiving a second paging message transmitted by the service network device, wherein the second paging message carries the SRS transmission deactivation request command; wherein the second paging message is transmitted by the service network device after receiving a measurement stop command transmitted by the LMF.
Regarding claim 16 as applied to claim 11, Quan discloses the claimed invention except transmitting a deactivation request command to the terminal device, wherein the deactivation request command is configured to indicate the terminal device to stop transmitting the uplink SRS signal. However, in a similar field of endeavor, Manolakos discloses a method performed by a LMF (see [0158]) comprising: transmitting a deactivation request command to the terminal device, wherein the deactivation request command is configured to indicate the terminal device to stop transmitting the uplink SRS signal (see [0158], [0172]).
It would therefore have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Manolakos with Quan with a reasonable expectation of success, by transmitting a deactivation message to the terminal device/UE, as taught by Manolakos, for the benefit of performing wireless positioning efficiently and accurately, for assisting in providing accurate location for emergencies, for example.
Regarding claim 17 as applied to claim 11, Quan discloses the claimed invention except transmitting a measurement stop command to the service network device (see [0158], [0172], 645a, (~which results in the gNBs not perfroming measurements)), so that the service network device transmits a second paging message to the terminal device after receiving the measurement stop command, the second paging message carrying a deactivation request command, wherein the deactivation request command is configured to indicate the terminal device to stop transmitting the uplink SRS signal.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 20-22 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Ghimire et al US 20240340839 discloses user equipment positioning in RRC inactive and RRC idle modes.
Fresia US 20240036150 discloses a LMF requesting deactivation of UE SRS via a gNB.
Ahn et al US 20200162289 discloses transmission of a UL signal based on received control information indicating a specific SRS resource.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to OLUMIDE T AJIBADE AKONAI whose telephone number is (571)272-6496. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8AM-4PM.
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/OLUMIDE AJIBADE AKONAI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3645