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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement submitted has been considered by the Examiner and made of record in the application file.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the area" in line 10. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim due to the recitation “the first information indicates at least one of”.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the SRS configuration" in line 10. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim due to the recitation “the first information indicates at least one of”.
Claim 4 recites the limitation "the area change" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim due to the recitation “the first information indicates at least one of”.
Claim 6 recites the limitation "the area" in line 7. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim due to the recitation “the first information indicates at least one of”.
Claim 6 recites the limitation "the SRS configuration" in line 7. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim due to the recitation “the first information indicates at least one of”.
Claim 9 recites the limitation "the area change" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim due to the recitation “the first information indicates at least one of”.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "the area" in line 10. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim due to the recitation “the first information indicates at least one of”.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the SRS configuration" in line 10. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim due to the recitation “the first information indicates at least one of”.
Claim 14 recites the limitation "the area change" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim due to the recitation “the first information indicates at least one of”.
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.
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.
Claim 1, 5-6, 10-11, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hao et al. CN 113132899 herewith English language EPO machine translation in view of You USPN 2023/0119824.
Consider claim 1, Hao discloses a communication method, comprising: receiving, by a first access network device, a retrieve user equipment (UE) context request message from a second access network device (see [0159-0161]: “…the source access network device may determine that the terminal device is switching to the target cell by: the source access network device receiving a third message from the target access network device… the third message is a Retrieve UE Context Request message…”); and sending, by the first access network device, first information to a positioning management network element (see [0166]: “…source access network device sends the first message to the location management function network element…”), wherein the first information indicates at least one of:
However, Hao does not explicitly disclose the area is an area in which the SRS configuration configured by the first access network device for a terminal is valid.
In the related field of endeavor, You disclose the area is an area in which the SRS configuration configured by the first access network device for a terminal is valid (see [0099]: “…If the terminal device is in the valid area indicated by the valid-area information, the configuration information is valid and the SRS may be transmitted according to the configuration information. If the terminal device is not in the valid area indicated by the valid-area information, the configuration information is invalid and the transmission of the SRS according to the configuration information will be stopped…”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at a time before the effective filing date of the claimed subject matter to improve the NR positioning of the UE of Hao with the area validity of You in order to arrive at the instant recitation to reduce unnecessary signal pollution due to SRS reconfiguration.
Consider claim 5 as applied to respective claim, Hao as modified discloses the first information is carried in a positioning information update message (see [0169]: “…the first message can be an existing message, such as a Positioning Information Update message …”).
Examiner Note: See detailed independent claim 1 rejection analysis for remaining independent claim rejections.
Consider claim 6, Hao discloses a communication method, comprising: receiving, by a positioning management network element, first information from a first access network device, wherein the first information indicates at least one of: message to the target access network device…”), wherein the second access network device is an access network device on which the terminal currently camps, and the second positioning information request message is used to request second positioning information of the terminal (see [0180]: “…request message could be, for example, a positioning information request message…”).
However, Hao does not explicitly disclose the area is an area in which the SRS configuration configured by the first access network device for a terminal is valid and the second access network device is an access network device on which the terminal currently camps.
In the related field of endeavor, You disclose the area is an area in which the SRS configuration configured by the first access network device for a terminal is valid (see [0099]: “…If the terminal device is in the valid area indicated by the valid-area information, the configuration information is valid and the SRS may be transmitted according to the configuration information. If the terminal device is not in the valid area indicated by the valid-area information, the configuration information is invalid and the transmission of the SRS according to the configuration information will be stopped…”) and the second access network device is an access network device on which the terminal currently camps (see [0106]: “…the terminal device can transmit the SRS in the non-connected state according to the received SRS configuration. Thus the terminal device can transmit the SRS in the idle state or the inactive state …”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at a time before the effective filing date of the claimed subject matter to improve the NR positioning of the UE of Hao with the area validity of You in order to arrive at the instant recitation to reduce unnecessary signal pollution due to SRS reconfiguration.
Consider claim 10 as applied to respective claim, Hao as modified discloses the first information is carried in a positioning information update message (see [0169]: “…the first message can be an existing message, such as a Positioning Information Update message …”).
Consider claim 11, Hao discloses a communication apparatus, comprising a receiver and a sender, wherein the receiver is configured to receive a retrieve user equipment (UE) context request message from a second access network device; and the sender is configured to send first information to a positioning management network element, wherein the first information indicates at least one of:
However, Hao does not explicitly disclose the area is an area in which the SRS configuration configured by the first access network device for a terminal is valid.
In the related field of endeavor, You disclose the area is an area in which the SRS configuration configured by the first access network device for a terminal is valid (see [0099]: “…If the terminal device is in the valid area indicated by the valid-area information, the configuration information is valid and the SRS may be transmitted according to the configuration information. If the terminal device is not in the valid area indicated by the valid-area information, the configuration information is invalid and the transmission of the SRS according to the configuration information will be stopped…”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at a time before the effective filing date of the claimed subject matter to improve the NR positioning of the UE of Hao with the area validity of You in order to arrive at the instant recitation to reduce unnecessary signal pollution due to SRS reconfiguration.
Consider claim 15 as applied to respective claim, Hao as modified discloses the first information is carried in a positioning information update message (see [0169]: “…the first message can be an existing message, such as a Positioning Information Update message …”).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4, 7-9, and 12-14 seem allowable over prior art, however, outstanding rejections still remain for the respective claims.
Conclusion
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Examiner should be directed to Fayyaz Alam whose telephone number is (571) 270-1102. The Examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 9:30am to 7:00pm.
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Fayyaz Alam
January 19, 2026
/FAYYAZ ALAM/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2674