Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/435,653

POSITIONING IN CELLULAR COMMUNICATION NETWORKS

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Feb 07, 2024
Examiner
HO, HUY C
Art Unit
2644
Tech Center
2600 — Communications
Assignee
Nokia Technologies Oy
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
77%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 3m
To Grant
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 77% — above average
77%
Career Allow Rate
605 granted / 784 resolved
+15.2% vs TC avg
Strong +21% interview lift
Without
With
+20.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 3m
Avg Prosecution
24 currently pending
Career history
808
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
5.3%
-34.7% vs TC avg
§103
51.0%
+11.0% vs TC avg
§102
31.5%
-8.5% vs TC avg
§112
4.6%
-35.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 784 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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. Claim(s) 1-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Hoang et al. (Pub. No. US 2024/0147410). Regarding claim 1. Hoang teaches an apparatus (Hoang, the Abstract, Fig. 1B), comprising: at least one processor (Hoang, Fig. 1B, pp [40]-[41]); and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor (Hoang, Fig. 1B, pp [40]-[41]), cause the apparatus at least to: transmit, to a network node, first information for determining whether a positioning type of the apparatus is to be session-based or session-less (Hoang, pp [91]-[94]: a WTRU receives a configuration from at least one of a node, a WTRU (e.g., another WTRU), and/or a network, WTRU may determine one or more positioning methods to use, and the positioning procedure is the session-based or session-less procedure); receive from the network node second information indicating a positioning type of the apparatus, wherein the type is one of a session-based positioning or a session-less positioning (Hoang, pp [91]-[94]: a WTRU receives a configuration from at least one of a node, a WTRU (e.g., another WTRU), and/or a network, WTRU may determine one or more positioning methods to use, and the positioning procedure is the session-based or session-less procedure); and perform positioning according to the indicated positioning type of the apparatus (Hoang, pp [118]-[119]: performing positioning based on positioning types). Regarding claim 11. Hoang teaches an apparatus (Hoang, the Abstract, Fig. 1B), comprising: at least one processor (Hoang, Fig. 1B, pp [40]-[41]); and at least one memory (Hoang, Fig. 1B, pp [40]-[41])storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor (Hoang, Fig. 1B, pp [40]-[41]), cause the apparatus at least to: receive, from a user equipment, first information for determining whether a positioning type of the user equipment is to be session-based or session-less (Hoang, pp [91]-[94]: a WTRU receives a configuration from at least one of a node, a WTRU (e.g., another WTRU), and/or a network, WTRU may determine one or more positioning methods to use, and the positioning procedure is the session-based or session-less procedure); determine, based on said first information, whether the positioning type of the user equipment is to be session-based or session-less (Hoang, pp [91]-[94]: a WTRU receives a configuration from at least one of a node, a WTRU (e.g., another WTRU), and/or a network, WTRU may determine one or more positioning methods to use, and the positioning procedure is the session-based or session-less procedure); and transmit, to the user equipment, second information indicating the positioning type of the user equipment, wherein the type is one of a session-based positioning or a session-less positioning (Hoang, pp [91]-[94]: a WTRU receives a configuration from at least one of a node, a WTRU (e.g., another WTRU), and/or a network, WTRU may determine one or more positioning methods to use, and the positioning procedure is the session-based or session-less procedure). Regarding claim 12. Hoang teaches a method (Hoang, the Abstract), comprising: transmitting to a network node, by an apparatus, first information for determining whether a positioning type of the apparatus is to be session-based or session-less (Hoang, pp [91]-[94]: a WTRU receives a configuration from at least one of a node, a WTRU (e.g., another WTRU), and/or a network, WTRU may determine one or more positioning methods to use, and the positioning procedure is the session-based or session-less procedure); receiving by the apparatus, from the network node, second information indicating a positioning type of the apparatus, wherein the type is one of a session-based positioning or a session-less positioning (Hoang, pp [91]-[94]: a WTRU receives a configuration from at least one of a node, a WTRU (e.g., another WTRU), and/or a network, WTRU may determine one or more positioning methods to use, and the positioning procedure is the session-based or session-less procedure); and performing, by the apparatus, positioning according to the indicated positioning type of the apparatus (Hoang, pp [118]-[119]: performing positioning based on positioning types). Regarding claim 2. Hoang teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stored instructions further cause, when executed by the at least one processor, the apparatus at least to: initiate, based on determining that the type is the session-based positioning, positioning with one or more anchor user equipments (Hoang, [93]-[94]; Fig. 3, pp [139]-[140]). Regarding claim 3. Hoang teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stored instructions further cause, when executed by the at least one processor, the apparatus at least to: initiate, based on determining that the type is the session-less positioning, positioning without bidirectional communication or without exchange of acknowledged signalling (Hoang, [93]-[94]; Fig. 3, pp [139]-[140]). Regarding claim 4. Hoang teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first information indicates at least one of a positioning application, required positioning accuracy or a priority level of a positioning accuracy (Hoang, [89], [120]-[121]). Regarding claim 5. Hoang teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first information comprises a set of parameters for assisting in determination on whether the positioning type of the apparatus is to be session-based or session-less (Hoang, [93]-[94]; Fig. 3, pp [139]-[140]). Regarding claim 6. Hoang teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first information is transmitted in a positioning request and second information is received in a positioning response (Hoang, [93]-[94]; Fig. 3, pp [139]-[140]). Regarding claim 7. Hoang teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first information is transmitted based on receiving a request from the network node (Hoang, pp [91]-[94]). Regarding claim 8. Hoang teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmission of said first information is triggered by the apparatus without receiving a request from the network node (Hoang, pp [93]-[94]; Fig. 3, pp [139]-[140]). Regarding claim 9. Hoang teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stored instructions further cause, when executed by the at least one processor, the apparatus at least to: receive, from the network node, an indication indicating that the apparatus is allowed to transmit a request for the positioning type of the apparatus (Hoang, pp [84]-[86]); and transmit, to the network node, the request at least based on receiving the indication indicating that the apparatus is allowed to transmit the request (Hoang, pp [84]-[86]). Regarding claim 10. Hoang teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stored instructions further cause, when executed by the at least one processor, the apparatus at least to: receive, from the network node, a triggering condition for determining when to trigger transmission of said first information (Hoang, pp [88]-[89], [113]); and transmit, based on determining that the triggering condition is met, said first information to the network node (Hoang, pp [88]-[89], [113]). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HUY C HO whose telephone number is (571)270-1108. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8AM-5PM. 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, KATHY WANG-HURST can be reached at (571)270-5371. 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. /HUY C HO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2644
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Feb 07, 2024
Application Filed
Mar 20, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
77%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+20.8%)
3y 3m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 784 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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