Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/396,110

LOS-Aided TDOA Techniques for Target Localization

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Dec 26, 2023
Examiner
ANSARI, NAJEEBUDDIN
Art Unit
2463
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Qualcomm Incorporated
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
63%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
4y 4m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 63% of resolved cases
63%
Career Allow Rate
289 granted / 458 resolved
+5.1% vs TC avg
Strong +59% interview lift
Without
With
+58.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
4y 4m
Avg Prosecution
38 currently pending
Career history
496
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
6.0%
-34.0% vs TC avg
§103
54.8%
+14.8% vs TC avg
§102
20.4%
-19.6% vs TC avg
§112
13.5%
-26.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 458 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
DETAILED ACTION In response to communications filed 12/26/2023. Claims 1-30 are pending for examination. 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 . Allowable Subject Matter Claims 7, 8, 9, 11, 16 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. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Examiner has been unable to locate prior art that reasonably, either singularly or in combination with cited references, would result a proper rejection that would have anticipated or made obvious the subject matter claimed in claims 7, 8, 9, 11, 16 including all of the limitations of claim 1 and any intervening claims with proper motivation at or before the time it was effectively filed 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 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 1-6, 10, 12-15 and 17-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ramachandran et al. (US 2025/0168808 A1) hereinafter “Ramachandran.” Regarding Claim 1, Ramachandran teaches A sensing node (Ramachandran: paragraph 0064 & Fig. 1, device user equipment (UE), comprising: one or more memories (Ramachandran: paragraph 0215, memory); a clock (Ramachandran: paragraph 0071, device clock); one or more transceivers (Ramachandran: paragraph 0215, communication unit); and one or more processors (Ramachandran: paragraph 0215, processor unit), communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers (Ramachandran: paragraph 0215, memory coupled to the processor unit for executing instructions), configured to: transmit, via the one or more transceivers, one or more target path reporting capability messages (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0169 & 0174, device UE reports its device capabilities and application requirements) indicating a capability of the sensing node (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0062-0063, ranging capabilities of device) to obtain measurements corresponding to one or more target paths (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0061, 0119, ranging reference signals used for measurement), wherein the one or more target paths comprise one or more paths of one or more reference signals (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0061, 0119, said ranging reference signals used for measurement) transmitted by one or more transmitting nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0174, anchor UEs perform ranging measurements on the received ranging reference signals), reflected by one or more targets (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0174, target UE(s)), and detected by the sensing node (Ramachandran: paragraph 0244, device UE detects the ranging reference signals from anchor UE); receive, via the one or more transceivers, one or more target path reporting configuration messages to configure the sensing node to obtain one or more target path measurements corresponding to the one or more target paths (Ramachandran: paragraph 0173-0174, device UE receives configuration parameters to perform a ranging procedure); obtain the one or more target path measurements corresponding to the one or more target paths without synchronization of the clock of the sensing node with one or more clocks of the one or more transmitting nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0071, ranging procedure in which the clock of device A and clock of device B need not be synchronized; see also paragraph 0087, asynchronous transmitter in communication with clock-synchronized receivers); and transmit, to a network entity (Ramachandran: paragraph 0173, management entity) via the one or more transceivers, one or more target path measurement reports corresponding to the one or more target paths (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0169 & 0177, report measurement/ranging results to managing entity). Regarding Claim 2, Ramachandran teaches the respective claim(s) as presented above and further teaches wherein the one or more target path reporting configuration messages configure the sensing node to obtain the one or more target path measurements during a sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraph 0114, discovery of ranging capable devices and/or during connection setup between ranging capable devices and/or exchanging messages to initiate a ranging session), wherein the sensing session is configured with one or more line of sight (LOS) paths between the sensing node and the one or more transmitting nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0047, ranging operation based on line of sight communication path), wherein one or more positions of the one or more transmitting nodes are known for the sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraph 0119, anchor UE may have a known/fixed position), and wherein a position of the sensing node is known for the sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0121 & 0174, positioning of device UE). Regarding Claim 3, Ramachandran teaches the respective claim(s) as presented above and further teaches wherein for a first target path of the one or more target paths, the one or more target path measurements comprise a difference between a time a first reference signal of the first target path arrives at the sensing node and a time a second reference signal of the one or more LOS paths between the sensing node and the one or more transmitting nodes arrives at the sensing node (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0087-0089, time difference of arrival corresponding to a difference in time stamps at which a data packet is received by a number of receivers). Regarding Claim 4, Ramachandran teaches the respective claim(s) as presented above and further teaches wherein, for a second target path of the one or more target paths, the one or more target path measurements comprise a difference between the time the first reference signal arrives at the sensing node and a time a third reference signal of the second target path arrives at the sensing node (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0087-0089, time difference of arrival corresponding to a difference in time stamps at which a data packet is received by a number of receivers). Regarding Claim 5, Ramachandran teaches the respective claim(s) as presented above and further teaches wherein the first target path corresponds to a first target of the one or more targets (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0087-0089, i.e. receiver i), and wherein the second target path corresponds to a second target of the one or more targets (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0087-0089, i.e. receiver j). Regarding Claim 6, Ramachandran teaches the respective claim(s) as presented above and further teaches wherein the one or more target path reporting configuration messages configure the sensing node to obtain the one or more target path measurements during a sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraph 0114, discovery of ranging capable devices and/or during connection setup between ranging capable devices and/or exchanging messages to initiate a ranging session), wherein the sensing session is configured with no LOS path between the sensing node and the one or more transmitting nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE may indicate no line-of-sight connection between the UEs (i.e. obstacles detected), and one or more LOS paths between the one or more transmitting nodes and the one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE may indicate line-of-sight connection between the UEs), wherein one or more positions of the one or more transmitting nodes, one or more positions of one or more reference sensing nodes, and a position of the sensing node are known for the sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraph 0084, coordinates of each receiver and transmitter are known in advance), and wherein the clock of the sensing node is synchronized with one or more clocks of the one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0087, clock-synchronized receivers; see also paragraph 0121, anchor UEs clock-synchronized with the device UE). Regarding Claim 10, Ramachandran teaches the respective claim(s) as presented above and further teaches wherein the one or more target path reporting configuration messages configure the sensing node to obtain the one or more target path measurements during a sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraph 0114, discovery of ranging capable devices and/or during connection setup between ranging capable devices and/or exchanging messages to initiate a ranging session), wherein the sensing session is configured with no LOS path between the sensing node and one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE no line-of-sight connection between the UEs), no LOS path between the sensing node and the one or more transmitting nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE no line-of-sight connection between the UEs), no LOS path between the one or more transmitting nodes and the one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE may indicate no line-of-sight connection between the UEs), one or more LOS paths between the one or more transmitting nodes and one or more reflectors (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, line-of-sight connection between the UEs), and one or more LOS paths between the one or more reflectors and the one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, line-of-sight connection between the UEs), wherein one or more positions of the one or more transmitting nodes, one or more positions of one or more reference sensing nodes, a position of the sensing node, and one or more positions of the one or more reflectors, are known for the sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraph 0084, coordinates of each receiver and transmitter are known in advance), and wherein the clock of the sensing node is synchronized with one or more clocks of the one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0087, clock-synchronized receivers; see also paragraph 0121, anchor UEs clock-synchronized with the device UE). Regarding Claim 12, Ramachandran teaches the respective claim(s) as presented above and further teaches wherein the one or more target path reporting configuration messages configure the sensing node to obtain the one or more target path measurements during a sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraph 0114, discovery of ranging capable devices and/or during connection setup between ranging capable devices and/or exchanging messages to initiate a ranging session), wherein the sensing session is configured with no LOS path between the sensing node and one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, no line-of-sight connection between the UEs), no LOS path between the sensing node and the one or more transmitting nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, no line-of-sight connection between the UEs), no LOS path between the one or more transmitting nodes and the one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, no line-of-sight connection between the UEs), wherein one or more positions of one or more reference sensing nodes and a position of the sensing node are known for the sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraph 0084, coordinates of each receiver and transmitter are known in advance) and wherein the clock of the sensing node is synchronized with one or more clocks of the one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0087, clock-synchronized receivers; see also paragraph 0121, anchor UEs clock-synchronized with the device UE). Regarding Claim 13, Ramachandran teaches the respective claim(s) as presented above and further teaches wherein, for a first target path of the one or more target paths, the one or more target path measurements comprise a difference between a time a first reference signal of the first target path arrives at the sensing node and a time a second reference signal of a second target path arrives at the one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0087-0089, time difference of arrival corresponding to a difference in time stamps at which a data packet is received by a number of receivers). Regarding Claim 14, Ramachandran teaches the respective claim(s) as presented above and further teaches wherein the sensing node and the one or more reference sensing nodes observe a same target of the one or more targets (Ramachandran: paragraph 0175, multiple anchor UEs to perform sidelink positioning of a Target UE). Regarding Claim 15, Ramachandran teaches the respective claim(s) as presented above and further teaches wherein the sensing node and the one or more reference sensing nodes observe different targets, and wherein the one or more target path measurements comprise one or more indications of which target the one or more target path measurements correspond to (Ramachandran: paragraph 0279, set of target UEs that may be served). Regarding Claim 17, Ramachandran teaches A method for configuring a sensing node for a sensing session, comprising: transmitting one or more target path reporting capability messages (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0169 & 0174, device UE reports its device capabilities and application requirements) indicating a capability of the sensing node (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0062-0063, ranging capabilities of device) to obtain measurements corresponding to one or more target paths (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0061, 0119, ranging reference signals used for measurement), wherein the one or more target paths comprise one or more paths of one or more reference signals (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0061, 0119, said ranging reference signals used for measurement) transmitted by one or more transmitting nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0174, anchor UEs perform ranging measurements on the received ranging reference signals), reflected by one or more targets (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0174, target UE(s)), and detected by the sensing node (Ramachandran: paragraph 0244, device UE detects the ranging reference signals from anchor UE); receiving one or more target path reporting configuration messages to configure the sensing node to obtain one or more target path measurements corresponding to the one or more target paths (Ramachandran: paragraph 0173-0174, device UE receives configuration parameters to perform a ranging procedure); obtaining the one or more target path measurements corresponding to the one or more target paths detected by the sensing node without synchronization of a clock of the sensing node with one or more clocks of the one or more transmitting nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0071, ranging procedure in which the clock of device A and clock of device B need not be synchronized; see also paragraph 0087, asynchronous transmitter in communication with clock-synchronized receivers); and transmitting, to a network entity (Ramachandran: paragraph 0173, management entity), one or more target path measurement reports corresponding to the one or more target paths (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0169 & 0177, report measurement/ranging results to managing entity). Regarding Claim 18, Ramachandran teaches the respective claim(s) as presented above and further teaches wherein the one or more target path reporting configuration messages configure the sensing node to obtain the one or more target path measurements during a sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraph 0114, discovery of ranging capable devices and/or during connection setup between ranging capable devices and/or exchanging messages to initiate a ranging session), wherein the sensing session is configured with one or more line of sight (LOS) paths between the sensing node and the one or more transmitting nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0047, ranging operation based on line of sight communication path), wherein one or more positions of the one or more transmitting nodes are known for the sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraph 0119, anchor UE may have a known/fixed position), and wherein a position of the sensing node is known for the sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0121 & 0174, positioning of device UE). Regarding Claim 19, Ramachandran teaches the respective claim(s) as presented above and further teaches wherein the one or more target path reporting configuration messages configure the sensing node to obtain the one or more target path measurements during a sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraph 0114, discovery of ranging capable devices and/or during connection setup between ranging capable devices and/or exchanging messages to initiate a ranging session), wherein the sensing session is configured with no LOS path between the sensing node and the one or more transmitting nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE may indicate no line-of-sight connection between the UEs (i.e. obstacles detected), and one or more LOS paths between the one or more transmitting nodes and the one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE may indicate line-of-sight connection between the UEs), wherein one or more positions of the one or more transmitting nodes, one or more positions of one or more reference sensing nodes, and a position of the sensing node are known for the sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraph 0084, coordinates of each receiver and transmitter are known in advance), and wherein the clock of the sensing node is synchronized with one or more clocks of the one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0087, clock-synchronized receivers; see also paragraph 0121, anchor UEs clock-synchronized with the device UE). Regarding Claim 20, Ramachandran teaches the respective claim(s) as presented above and further teaches wherein the one or more target path reporting configuration messages configure the sensing node to obtain the one or more target path measurements during a sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraph 0114, discovery of ranging capable devices and/or during connection setup between ranging capable devices and/or exchanging messages to initiate a ranging session), wherein the sensing session is configured with no LOS path between the sensing node and one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE may indicate no line-of-sight connection between the UEs (i.e. obstacles detected), no LOS path between the sensing node and the one or more transmitting nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE may indicate no line-of-sight connection between the UEs (i.e. obstacles detected), no LOS path between the one or more transmitting nodes and the one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE may indicate no line-of-sight connection between the UEs (i.e. obstacles detected), one or more LOS paths between the one or more transmitting nodes and one or more reflectors (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE may indicate line-of-sight connection between the UEs), and one or more LOS paths between the one or more reflectors and the one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE may indicate line-of-sight connection between the UEs), wherein one or more positions of the one or more transmitting nodes, one or more positions of one or more reference sensing nodes, a position of the sensing node, and one or more positions of the one or more reflectors, are known for the sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraph 0084, coordinates of each receiver and transmitter are known in advance), and wherein the clock of the sensing node is synchronized with one or more clocks of the one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0087, clock-synchronized receivers; see also paragraph 0121, anchor UEs clock-synchronized with the device UE). Regarding Claim 21, Ramachandran teaches the respective claim(s) as presented above and further teaches wherein the one or more target path reporting configuration messages configure the sensing node to obtain the one or more target path measurements during a sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraph 0114, discovery of ranging capable devices and/or during connection setup between ranging capable devices and/or exchanging messages to initiate a ranging session), wherein the sensing session is configured with no LOS path between the sensing node and one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE may indicate no line-of-sight connection between the UEs (i.e. obstacles detected), no LOS path between the sensing node and the one or more transmitting nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE may indicate no line-of-sight connection between the UEs (i.e. obstacles detected), no LOS path between the one or more transmitting nodes and the one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE may indicate no line-of-sight connection between the UEs (i.e. obstacles detected), wherein one or more positions of one or more reference sensing nodes and a position of the sensing node are known for the sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraph 0084, coordinates of each receiver and transmitter are known in advance), and wherein the clock of the sensing node is synchronized with one or more clocks of the one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0087, clock-synchronized receivers; see also paragraph 0121, anchor UEs clock-synchronized with the device UE). Regarding Claim 22, Ramachandran teaches A network entity (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0023 & 0173, management entity (i.e. access device, base station or network function)), comprising: one or more memories (Ramachandran: paragraph 0215, memory); one or more transceivers (Ramachandran: paragraph 0215, communication unit); and one or more processors, communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers (Ramachandran: paragraph 0215, memory coupled to the processor unit for executing instructions), configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, one or more target path reporting capability messages (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0169 & 0174, device UE reports its device capabilities and application requirements) from one or more sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0064 & Fig. 1, said device user equipment (UE), indicating a capability of the one or more sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0062-0063, ranging capabilities of device) to obtain measurements corresponding to one or more target paths(Ramachandran: paragraphs 0061, 0119, ranging reference signals used for measurement), wherein the one or more target paths comprise one or more paths of one or more reference signals (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0061, 0119, said ranging reference signals used for measurement) transmitted by one or more transmitting nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0174, anchor UEs perform ranging measurements on the received ranging reference signals), reflected by one or more targets (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0174, target UE(s)), and detected by the sensing node (Ramachandran: paragraph 0244, device UE detects the ranging reference signals from anchor UE); transmit, to the one or more sensing nodes via the one or more transceivers, one or more target path reporting configuration messages to configure the one or more sensing nodes to obtain one or more target path measurements corresponding to the one or more target paths (Ramachandran: paragraph 0173-0174, device UE receives configuration parameters to perform a ranging procedure); receive, via the one or more transceivers, one or more target path measurement reports corresponding to the one or more target paths from the one or more sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0169 & 0177, report measurement/ranging results to managing entity); and determine one or more positions of the one or more targets (Ramachandran: paragraph 0179, determine target UE position) using the one or more target path measurement reports corresponding to the one or more target paths without synchronization of a clock of the one or more sensing nodes with one or more clocks of the one or more transmitting nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0071, ranging procedure in which the clock of device A and clock of device B need not be synchronized; see also paragraph 0087, asynchronous transmitter in communication with clock-synchronized receivers). Regarding Claim 23, Ramachandran teaches the respective claim(s) as presented above and further teaches wherein the one or more target path reporting configuration messages configure the sensing node to obtain the one or more target path measurements during a sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraph 0114, discovery of ranging capable devices and/or during connection setup between ranging capable devices and/or exchanging messages to initiate a ranging session), wherein the sensing session is configured with one or more line of sight (LOS) paths between the sensing node and the one or more transmitting nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE may indicate line-of-sight connection between the UEs), one or more LOS paths between the sensing node and the one or more targets (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE may indicate line-of-sight connection between the UEs),, and one or more LOS paths between the one or more transmitting nodes and the one or more targets (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, line-of-sight connection between the UEs), wherein one or more positions of the one or more transmitting nodes are known for the sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraph 0084, coordinates of each receiver and transmitter are known in advance), and wherein a position of the sensing node is known for the sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0121 & 0174, positioning of device UE). Regarding Claim 24, Ramachandran teaches the respective claim(s) as presented above and further teaches wherein the one or more target path reporting configuration messages configure the sensing node to obtain the one or more target path measurements during a sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraph 0114, discovery of ranging capable devices and/or during connection setup between ranging capable devices and/or exchanging messages to initiate a ranging session), wherein the sensing session is configured with one or more LOS paths between the sensing node and the one or more targets (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE may indicate line-of-sight connection between the UEs), no LOS path between the sensing node and one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE no line-of-sight connection between the UEs), no LOS path between the sensing node and the one or more transmitting nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE no line-of-sight connection between the UEs), and one or more LOS paths between the one or more transmitting nodes and the one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE no line-of-sight connection between the UEs), wherein one or more positions of the one or more transmitting nodes, one or more positions of one or more reference sensing nodes, and a position of the sensing node are known for the sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraph 0084, coordinates of each receiver and transmitter are known in advance), and wherein the clock of the sensing node is configured to be synchronized with one or more clocks of the one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0087, clock-synchronized receivers; see also paragraph 0121, anchor UEs clock-synchronized with the device UE). Regarding Claim 25, Ramachandran teaches the respective claim(s) as presented above and further teaches wherein the one or more target path reporting configuration messages configure the sensing node to obtain the one or more target path measurements during a sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraph 0114, discovery of ranging capable devices and/or during connection setup between ranging capable devices and/or exchanging messages to initiate a ranging session), wherein the sensing session is configured with one or more LOS paths between the sensing node and the one or more targets (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE may indicate line-of-sight connection between the UEs), no LOS path between the sensing node and one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE no line-of-sight connection between the UEs), no LOS path between the sensing node and the one or more transmitting nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE no line-of-sight connection between the UEs), no LOS path between the one or more transmitting nodes and the one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE no line-of-sight connection between the UEs), one or more LOS paths between the one or more transmitting nodes and one or more reflectors (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE no line-of-sight connection between the UEs), and one or more LOS paths between the one or more reflectors and the one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE no line-of-sight connection between the UEs),, wherein one or more positions of the one or more transmitting nodes, one or more positions of one or more reference sensing nodes, a position of the sensing node, and one or more positions of the one or more reflectors, are known for the sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraph 0084, coordinates of each receiver and transmitter are known in advance), and wherein the clock of the sensing node is configured to be synchronized with one or more clocks of the one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0087, clock-synchronized receivers; see also paragraph 0121, anchor UEs clock-synchronized with the device UE). Regarding Claim 26, Ramachandran teaches the respective claim(s) as presented above and further teaches wherein the one or more target path reporting configuration messages configure the sensing node to obtain the one or more target path measurements during a sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraph 0114, discovery of ranging capable devices and/or during connection setup between ranging capable devices and/or exchanging messages to initiate a ranging session), wherein the sensing session is configured with one or more LOS paths between the sensing node and the one or more targets (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE may indicate line-of-sight connection between the UEs), one or more LOS paths between one or more reference sensing nodes and the one or more targets (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE may indicate line-of-sight connection between the UEs), one or more LOS paths between the one or more transmitting nodes and the one or more targets (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE may indicate line-of-sight connection between the UEs), no LOS path between the sensing node and one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE no line-of-sight connection between the UEs), no LOS path between the sensing node and the one or more transmitting nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE no line-of-sight connection between the UEs), no LOS path between the one or more transmitting nodes and the one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE no line-of-sight connection between the UEs), wherein one or more positions of one or more reference sensing nodes and a position of the sensing node be known for the sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraph 0084, coordinates of each receiver and transmitter are known in advance), and wherein the clock of the sensing node is configured to be synchronized with one or more clocks of the one or more reference sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0087, clock-synchronized receivers; see also paragraph 0121, anchor UEs clock-synchronized with the device UE). Regarding Claim 27, Ramachandran teaches A method for determining a position of a target (Ramachandran: paragraph 0179, determine target UE position), comprising: receiving, from one or more sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0064 & Fig. 1, said device user equipment (UE), one or more target path reporting capability messages indicating a capability of the one or more sensing nodes (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0062-0063, ranging capabilities of device) to obtain measurements corresponding to one or more target paths (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0061, 0119, ranging reference signals used for measurement), wherein the one or more target paths comprise one or more paths of one or more reference signals (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0061, 0119, said ranging reference signals used for measurement) transmitted by one or more transmitting nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0174, anchor UEs perform ranging measurements on the received ranging reference signals), reflected by one or more targets (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0174, target UE(s)), and detected by the sensing node (Ramachandran: paragraph 0244, device UE detects the ranging reference signals from anchor UE); transmitting, to the one or more sensing nodes, one or more target path reporting configuration messages to configure the one or more sensing nodes to obtain one or more target path measurements corresponding to the one or more target paths (Ramachandran: paragraph 0173-0174, device UE receives configuration parameters to perform a ranging procedure); receiving, from the one or more sensing nodes, one or more target path measurement reports corresponding to the one or more target paths (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0169 & 0177, report measurement/ranging results to managing entity); and determining one or more positions of the one or more targets using the one or more target path measurement reports corresponding to the one or more target paths without synchronization of a clock of the one or more sensing nodes with one or more clocks of the one or more transmitting nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0071, ranging procedure in which the clock of device A and clock of device B need not be synchronized; see also paragraph 0087, asynchronous transmitter in communication with clock-synchronized receivers). Regarding Claim 28, Ramachandran teaches the respective claim(s) as presented above and further teaches wherein the one or more target path reporting configuration messages configure the sensing node to obtain the one or more target path measurements during a sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraph 0114, discovery of ranging capable devices and/or during connection setup between ranging capable devices and/or exchanging messages to initiate a ranging session), wherein the sensing session is configured with one or more line of sight (LOS) paths between the sensing node and the one or more transmitting nodes (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE may indicate line-of-sight connection between the UEs), one or more LOS paths between the sensing node and the one or more targets (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, UE may indicate line-of-sight connection between the UEs), and one or more LOS paths between the one or more transmitting nodes and the one or more targets (Ramachandran: paragraph 0182, line-of-sight connection between the UEs), wherein one or more positions of the one or more transmitting nodes are known for the sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraph 0119, anchor UE may have a known/fixed position), and wherein a position of the sensing node is known for the sensing session (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0121 & 0174, positioning of device UE). Regarding Claim 29, Ramachandran teaches the respective claim(s) as presented above and further teaches wherein the determining of the one or more positions of the one or more targets using the one or more target path measurement reports corresponding to the one or more target paths further comprise: determining the one or more positions of the one or more targets using the one or more target path measurement reports, the one or more positions of the one or more transmitting nodes, and the position of the sensing node (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0177-0179, report measurement/ranging results to determine target position). Regarding Claim 30, Ramachandran teaches the respective claim(s) as presented above and further teaches wherein for a first target path of the one or more target paths, the one or more target path measurements comprise a difference between a time a first reference signal of the first target path arrives at the sensing node and a time a second reference signal of the one or more LOS paths between the sensing node and the one or more transmitting nodes arrives at the sensing node (Ramachandran: paragraphs 0087-0089, time difference of arrival corresponding to a difference in time stamps at which a data packet is received by a number of receivers). Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Shim et al. (US 2025/0301449 A1) teaches a method comprising the steps of: reporting capability information about the terminal related to location measurement; receiving configuration information for the location measurement; performing a measurement on a received reference signal on the basis of the configuration information; and reporting a measurement result for the reference signal (paragraph 0007). Wang et al. (US 2025/0267620 A1) teaches multiple paths for transmitting a reference signal including a line of sigh (LOS) path and a no-line of sight (NLOS) path (paragraphs 0102-0104). Chen et al. (US 2025/0212160 A1) teaches a network entity requesting positioning capabilities of a terminal device (paragraphs 0087-0092). Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NAJEEB ANSARI whose telephone number is (571)270-5446. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10am to 2pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, ASAD NAWAZ can be reached at 469-295-9193. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /NAJEEB ANSARI/Examiner, Art Unit 2463 /ASAD M NAWAZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2463
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Prosecution Timeline

Dec 26, 2023
Application Filed
Jan 10, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
63%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+58.8%)
4y 4m
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