DETAILED ACTION
The following communication is in response to the application filed on September 29, 2023.
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 .
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-11 and 15 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 1 line 21, the limitation “transmit the SL-PRS using the selected of the plurality of modified SL-PRS” should be replaced with ---transmit the SL-PRS using the selected one of the plurality of modified SL-PRS---.
Claims 2-11 depend on claim 1 and are, therefore, objected to for the same reason as claim 1.
Regarding claim 15 line 15, the limitation ““transmitting the SL-PRS using the selected of the plurality of modified SL-PRS configurations” should be replaced with ---transmitting the SL-PRS using the selected one of the plurality of modified SL-PRS configurations---.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Regarding claim 1 line 10, the limitation “transmission of the SL-PRS” has no antecedent basis. The limitations is preceded by the limitation “Sidelink Position Reference Signal (SL-PRS) configuration,” which is a configuration and is different from a SL-PRS itself. Therefore, the limitation “transmission of the SL-PRS” is the first reference to a SL-PRS (i.e., the signal itself) and should be amended to recite “transmission of a SL-PRS” for proper antecedent basis.
The same rationale applies to claim 12 line 10 and claim 15 line 4.
Claims 2-11, 13, and 14 depend on claims 1 and 12, respectively, and are therefore rejected for the same reasons as claims 1 and 12.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-15 are currently rejected and would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
One of the closest prior art references, U.S. Pub. No. 2025/0055621, discloses a technique for modifying SL-PRS transmission including discontinuing a transmission of a SL-PRS transmission, beginning transmission of a new SL-PRS, or adjusting time-frequency resources to be used for the SL-PRS transmission (see at least Fig. 4 and paragraphs 65-76).
Another of the closest prior art references, U.S. Pub. No. 2026/0006572, discloses SL PRS configuration that can be adaptively selected based on the requirements for the SL positioning service and transmission channel conditions, where a device may perform a SL PRS transmission based on a SL PRS configuration among a plurality of SL PRS configurations based on a channel busy ratio measurement (see at least paragraphs 329-343).
However, there is no combination of prior art of record that teaches or renders obvious the claimed invention as a whole, as arranged in independent claims 1, 12, and 15, and the dependent claims thereof. Specifically, the prior art of record fails to disclose or render obvious at least the following claim features:
as recited in claim 1 and similarly recited in claim 15, modify the SL-PRS configuration into a plurality of modified SL-PRS configurations, wherein:
each modified SL-PRS configuration in the plurality of modified SL-PRS configurations specifies a lower number of symbols for the transmission of the SL-PRS than the first number of symbols, and
a power required for transmitting the SL-PRS using each of the plurality of modified SL-PRS configurations satisfies a minimum receiving power threshold of the receiving wireless terminal;
select one of the plurality of modified SL-PRS configurations that results in a maximum number of SL-PRS symbols transmitted; and
transmit the SL-PRS using the selected of the plurality of modified SL-PRS configurations; and
as recited in claim 12, modify the SL-PRS configuration into a first modified SL-PRS configuration specifying a lower number of symbols for transmission of the SL-PRS than the first number of symbols;
transmit the SL-PRS using the first modified SL-PRS configuration when the power required for transmitting the SL-PRS using the first modified SL-PRS configuration satisfies a minimum receiving power threshold of the receiving wireless terminal;
modify the SL-PRS configuration into a second modified SL-PRS configuration when the power required for transmitting the SL-PRS using the first modified SL-PRS configuration does not satisfy the minimum receiving power threshold of the receiving wireless terminal, wherein the second modified SL-PRS configuration specifies a lower number of symbols for transmission of the SL-PRS than the first number of symbols; and
transmit the SL-PRS using the second modified SL-PRS configuration when the power required for transmitting the SL-PRS using the second modified SL-PRS configuration satisfies the minimum receiving power threshold of the receiving wireless terminal.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
U.S. Pub. No. 2025/0055621 (Michalopoulos et al.) – SL-PRS configuration modification.
U.S. Pub. No. 2025/0071522 (Zhang et al.) – activation message to support a dynamic change of a configuration for sending a SL-PRS.
U.S. Pub. No. 2025/0227723 (Pan et al.) – a location management function (LMF) and a radio access network (RAN) that performs an interaction associated with a SL-PRS configuration.
U.S. Pub. No. 2026/0006572 (Ko) – adaptive SL-PRS configuration selection.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Pawaris Sinkantarakorn whose telephone number is (571)270-1424. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:00pm.
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/PAO SINKANTARAKORN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2409 03/06/2026