DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-30 are pending.
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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 4/4/2025 was filed. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings were received on 10/30/2023. These drawings are accepted.
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 Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and
(C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
Claim 29 invokes 35 USC § 112(f). Corresponding support for the claimed features can be found in at least Figs. 3 and 7 and their corresponding disclosure. If the applicant disagrees, they are invited to clarify the record.
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.
Claims 1-3, 11-14, 17-22, 24, 25, and 27-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Manolakos et al. (WO 2022/150117, cited on IDS dated 4/4/2025) in view of Koirala et al. (WO 2025/034848).
As per claim 1, Manolakos et al. teach a method of wireless communication performed by a first user equipment (UE) [Manolakos, ¶ 0197, “FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary process 1400 of wireless communication, according to aspects of the disclosure. In an aspect, the process 1400 may be performed by a first wireless node, such as UE 302”, The relied upon method may be performed by a UE.], comprising:
obtaining one or more first reception characteristics [Manolakos, ¶ 0199, “At 1420, the first wireless node (e.g., receiver 312 or 322 or 352 or 362, transmitter 314 or 324 or 354 or 364, etc.) performs, for a set of measurement types, one or more measurements of the RS-Ps at each of the plurality of RS-P MOs”, The UE (see fig. 3a, element 312, ¶s 0107 and 0108) performs measurement on the received signals from step 1410. A reference signal measurement opportunity (RS-P MO, see ¶ 0053) is a time instance for transmission of a positioning reference signal, which will be measured (see also fig. 16, ¶ 0207). Measurement value (see y-axis of fig. 16) may be reasonably interpreted as obtaining a reception characteristic.] of a channel sounding signal transmitted by a second UE during a first transmission occasion of a detection duration [Manolakos, ¶ 0198, “At 1410, the first wireless node (e.g., receiver 312 or 322 or 352 or 362, etc.) receives, from at least one second wireless node (e.g., UE, BS, etc.), RS-Ps (e.g., DL- PRS, UL-PRS or UL-SRS, SL-PRS, etc.) at a plurality of RS-P MOs of a same RS-P resource, wherein each RS-P MO is transmitted at a different time instance on the same bandwidth of a time interval. For example, the time interval may correspond to a gap between measurement reports in some designs”, The UE receives a plurality of RSP-MOs, occupied with reference signals for positioning (RS-Ps, see ¶ 0028), which include sidelink position reference signals (SL-PRS, see ¶ 0196). SL-PRS are understood as signals exchanged between UEs, which implies that the received signal is transmitted by a second UE. Each SL-PRS is transmitted in its own time instance (see fig. 16). More than one SL-PRS is sent within a time interval.];
obtaining one or more second reception characteristics [Manolakos, ¶ 0199, “At 1420, the first wireless node (e.g., receiver 312 or 322 or 352 or 362, transmitter 314 or 324 or 354 or 364, etc.) performs, for a set of measurement types, one or more measurements of the RS-Ps at each of the plurality of RS-P MOs”, The UE (see fig. 3a, element 312, ¶s 0107 and 0108) performs measurement on the received signals from step 1410. A reference signal measurement opportunity (RS-P MO, see ¶ 0053) is a time instance for transmission of a positioning reference signal, which will be measured (see also fig. 16, ¶ 0207). Measurement value (see y-axis of fig. 16) may be reasonably interpreted as obtaining a reception characteristic.] of the channel sounding signal transmitted by the second UE during a second transmission occasion of the detection duration [Manolakos, ¶ 0198, “At 1410, the first wireless node (e.g., receiver 312 or 322 or 352 or 362, etc.) receives, from at least one second wireless node (e.g., UE, BS, etc.), RS-Ps (e.g., DL- PRS, UL-PRS or UL-SRS, SL-PRS, etc.) at a plurality of RS-P MOs of a same RS-P resource, wherein each RS-P MO is transmitted at a different time instance on the same bandwidth of a time interval. For example, the time interval may correspond to a gap between measurement reports in some designs”, The UE receives a plurality of RSP-MOs, occupied with reference signals for positioning (RS-Ps, see ¶ 0028), which include sidelink position reference signals (SL-PRS, see ¶ 0196). SL-PRS are understood as signals exchanged between UEs, which implies that the received signal is transmitted by a second UE. Each SL-PRS is transmitted in its own time instance (see fig. 16). More than one SL-PRS is sent. More than one SL-PRS is sent within a time interval.].
Manolakos et al. do not explicitly teach performing one or more sensing operations based on a difference between the one or more first reception characteristics and the one or more second reception characteristics indicating a presence, absence, or movement of an object.
However, in an analogous art, Koirala et al. teach performing one or more sensing operations based on a difference between the one or more first reception characteristics and the one or more second reception characteristics indicating a presence, absence, or movement of an object [Koirala, ¶ 0487, “At 1812, the anchor WTRU 102a may transmit (e.g., using the identified sub-group transmission configuration) a set of RSs, such as SL-PRSs, which may be received by the anchor WTRUs 102b and 102c (e.g., using the identified sub-group reception configuration). For example, the transmitted RSs may be send during a sub-group sensing window duration. At 1814, a measurement report may be received from the sub-group by the WTRU 102. For example, the measurement report may include an obstacle location determined using bistatic sensing according to the transmitted RSs at 1812”, Fig. 18 detects an obstacle using SL-PRS (see earlier in ¶ 0487). Anchor UE (or second UE, see fig. 18, element 102a) transmits a number of slidelink positioning reference signals (SL-PRS, see message 1812 and ¶ 0171) during a subgroup sensing window duration (see fig. 18, period between start time and stop time). RTT is for bistatic sensing (see ¶ 0225), where the time difference between transmission and reception (see ¶ 0224) is used for determining the presence (and location) of an obstacle (see fig. 7, ¶s 0250-0258). Anchor UE 102b (or the first UE) performs RTT measurement for the received SL-PRS using bistatic sensing (or a sensing operation), which is used to detect the presence of an object (see fig. 7). Anchor UE 102b uses a threshold and the difference between RTT values to detect an obstacle (see fig. 9, ¶ 0313). Further, an increase in RTT values between reference signals implies obstacle velocity (see fig. 19, ¶ 0498). The measurement report may include obstacle location (or presence) and velocity (see ¶ 0486) based on the RTT values.].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the measurement report using bistatic sensing as taught by Koirala et al. into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because modifying the measurement report of Manolakos et al. (see ¶ 0200) with elements of the measurement report of Koirala et al. would allow for obstacle detection with a reasonable expectation of success.
As per claim 2, Manolakos et al. in view of Koirala et al. teach the method of claim 1. Manolakos et al. do not explicitly teach wherein the difference between the one or more first reception characteristics and the one or more second reception characteristics indicates a difference between: a timing of the channel sounding signal transmitted during the first transmission occasion and a timing of the channel sounding signal transmitted during the second transmission occasion, a signal strength of the channel sounding signal transmitted during the first transmission occasion and a signal strength of the channel sounding signal transmitted during the second transmission occasion, a channel estimate of the channel sounding signal transmitted during the first transmission occasion and a channel estimate of the channel sounding signal transmitted during the second transmission occasion, a phase of the channel sounding signal transmitted during the first transmission occasion and a phase of the channel sounding signal transmitted during the second transmission occasion, or any combination thereof.
However, in an analogous art, Koirala et al. teach a timing of the channel sounding signal transmitted during the first transmission occasion and a timing of the channel sounding signal transmitted during the second transmission occasion, [Koirala, ¶ 0498, “The increase in the reported RTT corresponding to the obstacle in multiple measurement occasions is above a (pre)configured threshold”, An increase in RTT across multiple measurement occasions (corresponding to a difference between them), indicates the velocity of an obstacle and is used as part of the bistatic sensing operation.].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the channel sounding signal parameters as taught by Koirala et al. into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because modifying the explicitly defining the signals of Manolakos et al. (see ¶ 0198) with parameters of the reference signals of Koirala et al. would allow for obstacle detection with a reasonable expectation of success.
As per claim 3, Manolakos et al. in view of Koirala et al. teach the method of claim 1. Manolakos et al. do not explicitly teach wherein the one or more first reception characteristics and the one or more second reception characteristics comprise: a first timing measurement and a second timing measurement, a first signal strength measurement and a second signal strength measurement, a first channel estimate and a second channel estimate, a first phase measurement and a second phase measurement, or any combination thereof.
However, in an analogous art, Koirala et al. teach a first signal strength measurement and a second signal strength measurement [Koirala, ¶ 0498, “The increase in the reported RTT corresponding to the obstacle in multiple measurement occasions is above a (pre)configured threshold”, An increase in RTT across multiple measurement occasions (corresponding to a difference between them), indicates the velocity of an obstacle and is used as part of the bistatic sensing operation.].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the channel sounding signal parameters as taught by Koirala et al. into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because modifying the explicitly defining the signals of Manolakos et al. (see ¶ 0198) with parameters of the reference signals of Koirala et al. would allow for obstacle detection with a reasonable expectation of success.
As per claim 11, Manolakos et al. in view of Koirala et al. teach the method of claim 1. Manolakos et al. also teach wherein transmission parameters of the channel sounding signal during the first transmission occasion are the same as transmission parameters of the channel sounding signal during the second transmission occasion [Manolakos, ¶ 0005, “receiving, from at least one second wireless node, reference signals for positioning (RS-Ps) at a plurality of reference signal for positioning (RS-P) measurement occasions (MOs) of a same RS- P resource, wherein each RS-P MO is transmitted at a different time instance on the same bandwidth of a time interval”, Each RS-P MO (see independent claim citations) occurs at different time instances (or time domain resources) of the same bandwidth (or frequency resources) according to a time hopping pattern (e.g., every TPRS, see fig. 13). See also ¶ 0147 for SRS properties.].
As per claim 12, Manolakos et al. in view of Koirala et al. teach the method of claim 11. Manolakos et al. also teach wherein the transmission parameters comprise: time domain resources, frequency domain resources, and hopping pattern [Manolakos, ¶ 0005, “receiving, from at least one second wireless node, reference signals for positioning (RS-Ps) at a plurality of reference signal for positioning (RS-P) measurement occasions (MOs) of a same RS- P resource, wherein each RS-P MO is transmitted at a different time instance on the same bandwidth of a time interval”, Each RS-P MO (see independent claim citations) occurs at different time instances (or time domain resources) of the same bandwidth (or frequency resources) according to a time hopping pattern (e.g., every TPRS, see fig. 13). See also ¶ 0147 for SRS properties.].
As per claim 13, Manolakos et al. in view of Koirala et al. teach the method of claim 11. Manolakos et al. do not explicitly teach wherein the transmission parameters comprise: transmit power, transmit beam, transmit timing, and phase.
However, in an analogous art, Koirala et al. teach wherein the transmission parameters comprise: transmit power, transmit beam, transmit timing, and phase [Koirala, ¶s 0170 and 0171, Configuration for SL-PRS includes power and timing.], transmit beam [Koirala, ¶0458, Configuration for SL-PRS includes beam pattern.], transmit timing [Koirala, ¶s 0170 and 0171, Configuration for SL-PRS includes power and timing.], and phase [Koirala, ¶0313, Positioning techniques require synchronized phase in transmission.].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the channel sounding signal parameters as taught by Koirala et al. into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because modifying the explicitly defining the signals of Manolakos et al. (see ¶ 0198) with parameters of the reference signals of Koirala et al. would allow for obstacle detection with a reasonable expectation of success.
As per claim 14, Manolakos et al. in view of Koirala et al. teach the method of claim 1. Manolakos et al. do not explicitly teach further comprising: receiving a configuration of a start and end of the detection duration.
However, in an analogous art, Koirala et al. teach receiving a configuration of a start and end of the detection duration [Koirala, fig. 18, “Sub-group sensing window”, See also ¶ 0481.].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the measurement report using bistatic sensing as taught by Koirala et al. into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because modifying the measurement report of Manolakos et al. (see ¶ 0200) with elements of the measurement report of Koirala et al. would allow for obstacle detection with a reasonable expectation of success.
As per claim 17, Manolakos et al. in view of Koirala et al. teach the method of claim 1. Manolakos et al. do not explicitly teach further comprising: reporting, to a network entity, a location, mobility status, and radio frequency calibration of the first UE.
However, in an analogous art, Koirala et al. teach reporting, to a network entity, a location, mobility status, and radio frequency calibration of the first UE [Koirala, ¶ 0187, “In certain representative embodiments, the WTRU may be a positioning reference unit (PRU). For example, a PRU may be a WTRU whose location is known to the network and/or peer WTRU(s) (e.g., target WTRU, anchor WTRU, server WTRU) where the WTRU has the capability to provide SL-PRS configurations to WTRUs, receive measurement reports from WTRUs, determine the locations of WTRUs and/or schedule resources for SL-PRS transmission. The WTRU may transmit (e.g., exchange) capability information with the network and/or peer WTRU(s)”, The WTRU may be a PRU with a known location, and this information may be reported to the network entity.].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the measurement report using bistatic sensing as taught by Koirala et al. into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because modifying the measurement report of Manolakos et al. (see ¶ 0200) with elements of the measurement report of Koirala et al. would allow for obstacle detection with a reasonable expectation of success.
As per claim 18, Manolakos et al. in view of Koirala et al. teach the method of claim 17. Manolakos et al. do not explicitly teach further comprising: receiving, from the network entity, a configuration to act as a positioning reference unit (PRU) or a sensing reference unit for the one or more sensing operations based on the location, mobility status, and radio frequency calibration of the first UE.
However, in an analogous art, Koirala et al. teach receiving, from the network entity, a configuration to act as a positioning reference unit (PRU) [Koirala, ¶ 0187, “In certain representative embodiments, the WTRU may be a positioning reference unit (PRU). For example, a PRU may be a WTRU whose location is known to the network and/or peer WTRU(s) (e.g., target WTRU, anchor WTRU, server WTRU) where the WTRU has the capability to provide SL-PRS configurations to WTRUs, receive measurement reports from WTRUs, determine the locations of WTRUs and/or schedule resources for SL-PRS transmission. The WTRU may transmit (e.g., exchange) capability information with the network and/or peer WTRU(s)”, The WTRU may be a PRU with a known location, and this information may be reported to the network entity.].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the measurement report using bistatic sensing as taught by Koirala et al. into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because modifying the measurement report of Manolakos et al. (see ¶ 0200) with elements of the measurement report of Koirala et al. would allow for obstacle detection with a reasonable expectation of success.
As per claim 19, Manolakos et al. in view of Koirala et al. teach the method of claim 1. Manolakos et al. also teach wherein the channel sounding signal comprises: a sounding reference signal (SRS), or a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) [Manolakos, ¶ 0198, “At 1410, the first wireless node (e.g., receiver 312 or 322 or 352 or 362, etc.) receives, from at least one second wireless node (e.g., UE, BS, etc.), RS-Ps (e.g., DL- PRS, UL-PRS or UL-SRS, SL-PRS, etc.) at a plurality of RS-P MOs of a same RS-P resource, wherein each RS-P MO is transmitted at a different time instance on the same bandwidth of a time interval. For example, the time interval may correspond to a gap between measurement reports in some designs”, The UE receives a plurality of RSP-MOs, occupied with reference signals for positioning (RS-Ps, see ¶ 0028), which include sidelink position reference signals (SL-PRS, see ¶ 0196). SL-PRS are understood as signals exchanged between UEs, which implies that the received signal is transmitted by a second UE. Each SL-PRS is transmitted in its own time instance (see fig. 16). More than one SL-PRS is sent within a time interval.].
As per claim 20, Manolakos et al. teach a first user equipment (UE) [Manolakos, ¶ 0197, “FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary process 1400 of wireless communication, according to aspects of the disclosure. In an aspect, the process 1400 may be performed by a first wireless node, such as UE 302”, The relied upon method may be performed by a UE.], comprising:
one or more memories [Manolakos, ¶ 0114, “memory circuitry implementing memory components 340”, Fig. 3A (a UE) contains a memory (element 340).]; one or more transceivers [Manolakos, ¶ 0108, “The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356, respectively, for communicating with other network nodes, such as other UEs”, Fig. 3A (a UE) contains a transceiver (element 310) for communicating with a network and other UEs.]; and
one or more processors [Manolakos, ¶ 0113, “the processing systems 332, 384, and 394 may include, for example, one or more general purpose processors, multi-core processors, ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices or processing circuitry”, Fig. 3a (a UE) includes a processing system (element 332) containing one or more processors.] communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors, either alone or in combination [Manolakos, ¶ 0114, “the positioning modules 342, 388 and 389 may be memory modules (as shown in FIGS. 3A-C) stored in the memory components 340, 386, and 396, respectively, that, when executed by the processing systems 332, 384, and 394, cause the apparatuses 302, 304, and 306 to perform the functionality described herein”, Positioning module 340 of Fig. 3a (a UE) resides in memory and is executed by a processor (element 332) to perform the disclosed methods. The data bus (element 334) connects/couples the transceiver, memory, and processor for operations purposes (see ¶ 0126).], configured to:
obtain one or more first reception characteristics [Manolakos, ¶ 0199, “At 1420, the first wireless node (e.g., receiver 312 or 322 or 352 or 362, transmitter 314 or 324 or 354 or 364, etc.) performs, for a set of measurement types, one or more measurements of the RS-Ps at each of the plurality of RS-P MOs”, The UE (see fig. 3a, element 312, ¶s 0107 and 0108) performs measurement on the received signals from step 1410. A reference signal measurement opportunity (RS-P MO, see ¶ 0053) is a time instance for transmission of a positioning reference signal, which will be measured (see also fig. 16, ¶ 0207). Measurement value (see y-axis of fig. 16) may be reasonably interpreted as obtaining a reception characteristic.] of a channel sounding signal transmitted by a second UE during a first transmission occasion of a detection duration [Manolakos, ¶ 0198, “At 1410, the first wireless node (e.g., receiver 312 or 322 or 352 or 362, etc.) receives, from at least one second wireless node (e.g., UE, BS, etc.), RS-Ps (e.g., DL- PRS, UL-PRS or UL-SRS, SL-PRS, etc.) at a plurality of RS-P MOs of a same RS-P resource, wherein each RS-P MO is transmitted at a different time instance on the same bandwidth of a time interval. For example, the time interval may correspond to a gap between measurement reports in some designs”, The UE receives a plurality of RSP-MOs, occupied with reference signals for positioning (RS-Ps, see ¶ 0028), which include sidelink position reference signals (SL-PRS, see ¶ 0196). SL-PRS are understood as signals exchanged between UEs, which implies that the received signal is transmitted by a second UE. Each SL-PRS is transmitted in its own time instance (see fig. 16). More than one SL-PRS is sent within a time interval.];
obtain one or more second reception characteristics [Manolakos, ¶ 0199, “At 1420, the first wireless node (e.g., receiver 312 or 322 or 352 or 362, transmitter 314 or 324 or 354 or 364, etc.) performs, for a set of measurement types, one or more measurements of the RS-Ps at each of the plurality of RS-P MOs”, The UE (see fig. 3a, element 312, ¶s 0107 and 0108) performs measurement on the received signals from step 1410. A reference signal measurement opportunity (RS-P MO, see ¶ 0053) is a time instance for transmission of a positioning reference signal, which will be measured (see also fig. 16, ¶ 0207). Measurement value (see y-axis of fig. 16) may be reasonably interpreted as obtaining a reception characteristic.] of a channel sounding signal transmitted by a second UE during a first transmission occasion of a detection duration [Manolakos, ¶ 0198, “At 1410, the first wireless node (e.g., receiver 312 or 322 or 352 or 362, etc.) receives, from at least one second wireless node (e.g., UE, BS, etc.), RS-Ps (e.g., DL- PRS, UL-PRS or UL-SRS, SL-PRS, etc.) at a plurality of RS-P MOs of a same RS-P resource, wherein each RS-P MO is transmitted at a different time instance on the same bandwidth of a time interval. For example, the time interval may correspond to a gap between measurement reports in some designs”, The UE receives a plurality of RSP-MOs, occupied with reference signals for positioning (RS-Ps, see ¶ 0028), which include sidelink position reference signals (SL-PRS, see ¶ 0196). SL-PRS are understood as signals exchanged between UEs, which implies that the received signal is transmitted by a second UE. Each SL-PRS is transmitted in its own time instance (see fig. 16). More than one SL-PRS is sent within a time interval.].
Manolakos et al. do not explicitly teach perform one or more sensing operations based on a difference between the one or more first reception characteristics and the one or more second reception characteristics indicating a presence, absence, or movement of an object.
However, in an analogous art, Koirala et al. teach perform one or more sensing operations based on a difference between the one or more first reception characteristics and the one or more second reception characteristics indicating a presence, absence, or movement of an object [Koirala, ¶ 0487, “At 1812, the anchor WTRU 102a may transmit (e.g., using the identified sub-group transmission configuration) a set of RSs, such as SL-PRSs, which may be received by the anchor WTRUs 102b and 102c (e.g., using the identified sub-group reception configuration). For example, the transmitted RSs may be send during a sub-group sensing window duration. At 1814, a measurement report may be received from the sub-group by the WTRU 102. For example, the measurement report may include an obstacle location determined using bistatic sensing according to the transmitted RSs at 1812”, Fig. 18 detects an obstacle using SL-PRS (see earlier in ¶ 0487). Anchor UE (or second UE, see fig. 18, element 102a) transmits a number of slidelink positioning reference signals (SL-PRS, see message 1812 and ¶ 0171) during a subgroup sensing window duration (see fig. 18, period between start time and stop time). RTT is for bistatic sensing (see ¶ 0225), where the time difference between transmission and reception (see ¶ 0224) is used for determining the presence (and location) of an obstacle (see fig. 7, ¶s 0250-0258). Anchor UE 102b (or the first UE) performs RTT measurement for the received SL-PRS using bistatic sensing (or a sensing operation), which is used to detect the presence of an object (see fig. 7). Anchor UE 102b uses a threshold and the difference between RTT values to detect an obstacle (see fig. 9, ¶ 0313). Further, an increase in RTT values between reference signals implies obstacle velocity (see fig. 19, ¶ 0498). The measurement report may include obstacle location (or presence) and velocity (see ¶ 0486) based on the RTT values.].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the measurement report using bistatic sensing as taught by Koirala et al. into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because modifying the measurement report of Manolakos et al. (see ¶ 0200) with elements of the measurement report of Koirala et al. would allow for obstacle detection with a reasonable expectation of success.
As per claim 21, Manolakos et al. in view of Koirala et al. teach the first UE of claim 20. Manolakos et al. do not explicitly teach wherein the difference between the one or more first reception characteristics and the one or more second reception characteristics indicates a difference between: a timing of the channel sounding signal transmitted during the first transmission occasion and a timing of the channel sounding signal transmitted during the second transmission occasion, a signal strength of the channel sounding signal transmitted during the first transmission occasion and a signal strength of the channel sounding signal transmitted during the second transmission occasion, a channel estimate of the channel sounding signal transmitted during the first transmission occasion and a channel estimate of the channel sounding signal transmitted during the second transmission occasion, a phase of the channel sounding signal transmitted during the first transmission occasion and a phase of the channel sounding signal transmitted during the second transmission occasion, or any combination thereof.
However, in an analogous art, Koirala et al. teach a timing of the channel sounding signal transmitted during the first transmission occasion and a timing of the channel sounding signal transmitted during the second transmission occasion, [Koirala, ¶ 0498, “The increase in the reported RTT corresponding to the obstacle in multiple measurement occasions is above a (pre)configured threshold”, An increase in RTT across multiple measurement occasions (corresponding to a difference between them), indicates the velocity of an obstacle and is used as part of the bistatic sensing operation.].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the channel sounding signal parameters as taught by Koirala et al. into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because modifying the explicitly defining the signals of Manolakos et al. (see ¶ 0198) with parameters of the reference signals of Koirala et al. would allow for obstacle detection with a reasonable expectation of success.
As per claim 22, Manolakos et al. in view of Koirala et al. teach the first UE of claim 20. Manolakos et al. do not explicitly teach wherein the one or more first reception characteristics and the one or more second reception characteristics comprise: a first timing measurement and a second timing measurement, a first signal strength measurement and a second signal strength measurement, a first channel estimate and a second channel estimate, a first phase measurement and a second phase measurement, or any combination thereof.
However, in an analogous art, Koirala et al. teach a first signal strength measurement and a second signal strength measurement [Koirala, ¶ 0498, “The increase in the reported RTT corresponding to the obstacle in multiple measurement occasions is above a (pre)configured threshold”, An increase in RTT across multiple measurement occasions (corresponding to a difference between them), indicates the velocity of an obstacle and is used as part of the bistatic sensing operation.].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the channel sounding signal parameters as taught by Koirala et al. into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because modifying the explicitly defining the signals of Manolakos et al. (see ¶ 0198) with parameters of the reference signals of Koirala et al. would allow for obstacle detection with a reasonable expectation of success.
As per claim 24, Manolakos et al. in view of Koirala et al. teach the first UE of claim 20, wherein transmission parameters of the channel sounding signal during the first transmission occasion are the same as transmission parameters of the channel sounding signal during the second transmission occasion [Manolakos, ¶ 0005, “receiving, from at least one second wireless node, reference signals for positioning (RS-Ps) at a plurality of reference signal for positioning (RS-P) measurement occasions (MOs) of a same RS- P resource, wherein each RS-P MO is transmitted at a different time instance on the same bandwidth of a time interval”, Each RS-P MO (see independent claim citations) occurs at different time instances (or time domain resources) of the same bandwidth (or frequency resources) according to a time hopping pattern (e.g., every TPRS, see fig. 13). See also ¶ 0147 for SRS properties.].
As per claim 25, Manolakos et al. in view of Koirala et al. teach the first UE of claim 20. Manolakos et al. do not explicitly teach wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, a configuration of a start and end of the detection duration.
However, in an analogous art, Koirala et al. teach receive, via the one or more transceivers, a configuration of a start and end of the detection duration [Koirala, fig. 18, “Sub-group sensing window”, See also ¶ 0481.].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the measurement report using bistatic sensing as taught by Koirala et al. into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because modifying the measurement report of Manolakos et al. (see ¶ 0200) with elements of the measurement report of Koirala et al. would allow for obstacle detection with a reasonable expectation of success.
As per claim 27, Manolakos et al. in view of Koirala et al. teach the first UE of claim 20. Manolakos et al. do not explicitly teach wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to: report, via the one or more transceivers, to a network entity, a location, mobility status, and radio frequency calibration of the first UE.
However, in an analogous art, Koirala et al. teach reporting, to a network entity, a location, mobility status, and radio frequency calibration of the first UE [Koirala, ¶ 0187, “In certain representative embodiments, the WTRU may be a positioning reference unit (PRU). For example, a PRU may be a WTRU whose location is known to the network and/or peer WTRU(s) (e.g., target WTRU, anchor WTRU, server WTRU) where the WTRU has the capability to provide SL-PRS configurations to WTRUs, receive measurement reports from WTRUs, determine the locations of WTRUs and/or schedule resources for SL-PRS transmission. The WTRU may transmit (e.g., exchange) capability information with the network and/or peer WTRU(s)”, The WTRU may be a PRU with a known location, and this information may be reported to the network entity.].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the measurement report using bistatic sensing as taught by Koirala et al. into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because modifying the measurement report of Manolakos et al. (see ¶ 0200) with elements of the measurement report of Koirala et al. would allow for obstacle detection with a reasonable expectation of success.
As per claim 28, Manolakos et al. in view of Koirala et al. teach the UE of claim 20. Manolakos et al. teach wherein the channel sounding signal comprises: a sounding reference signal (SRS), or a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) [Manolakos, ¶ 0198, “At 1410, the first wireless node (e.g., receiver 312 or 322 or 352 or 362, etc.) receives, from at least one second wireless node (e.g., UE, BS, etc.), RS-Ps (e.g., DL- PRS, UL-PRS or UL-SRS, SL-PRS, etc.) at a plurality of RS-P MOs of a same RS-P resource, wherein each RS-P MO is transmitted at a different time instance on the same bandwidth of a time interval. For example, the time interval may correspond to a gap between measurement reports in some designs”, The UE receives a plurality of RSP-MOs, occupied with reference signals for positioning (RS-Ps, see ¶ 0028), which include sidelink position reference signals (SL-PRS, see ¶ 0196). SL-PRS are understood as signals exchanged between UEs, which implies that the received signal is transmitted by a second UE. Each SL-PRS is transmitted in its own time instance (see fig. 16). More than one SL-PRS is sent within a time interval.].
As per claim 29, Manolakos et al. teach a first user equipment (UE) [Manolakos, ¶ 0197, “FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary process 1400 of wireless communication, according to aspects of the disclosure. In an aspect, the process 1400 may be performed by a first wireless node, such as UE 302”, The relied upon method may be performed by a UE.], comprising:
means for obtaining one or more first reception characteristics [Manolakos, ¶ 0199, “At 1420, the first wireless node (e.g., receiver 312 or 322 or 352 or 362, transmitter 314 or 324 or 354 or 364, etc.) performs, for a set of measurement types, one or more measurements of the RS-Ps at each of the plurality of RS-P MOs”, The UE (see fig. 3a, element 312, ¶s 0107 and 0108) performs measurement on the received signals from step 1410. A reference signal measurement opportunity (RS-P MO, see ¶ 0053) is a time instance for transmission of a positioning reference signal, which will be measured (see also fig. 16, ¶ 0207). Measurement value (see y-axis of fig. 16) may be reasonably interpreted as obtaining a reception characteristic. Transceiver 310 (see fig. 3a) performs the obtaining.] of a channel sounding signal transmitted by a second UE during a first transmission occasion of a detection duration [Manolakos, ¶ 0198, “At 1410, the first wireless node (e.g., receiver 312 or 322 or 352 or 362, etc.) receives, from at least one second wireless node (e.g., UE, BS, etc.), RS-Ps (e.g., DL- PRS, UL-PRS or UL-SRS, SL-PRS, etc.) at a plurality of RS-P MOs of a same RS-P resource, wherein each RS-P MO is transmitted at a different time instance on the same bandwidth of a time interval. For example, the time interval may correspond to a gap between measurement reports in some designs”, The UE receives a plurality of RSP-MOs, occupied with reference signals for positioning (RS-Ps, see ¶ 0028), which include sidelink position reference signals (SL-PRS, see ¶ 0196). SL-PRS are understood as signals exchanged between UEs, which implies that the received signal is transmitted by a second UE. Each SL-PRS is transmitted in its own time instance (see fig. 16). More than one SL-PRS is sent within a time interval.];
means for obtaining one or more second reception characteristics [Manolakos, ¶ 0199, “At 1420, the first wireless node (e.g., receiver 312 or 322 or 352 or 362, transmitter 314 or 324 or 354 or 364, etc.) performs, for a set of measurement types, one or more measurements of the RS-Ps at each of the plurality of RS-P MOs”, The UE (see fig. 3a, element 312, ¶s 0107 and 0108) performs measurement on the received signals from step 1410. A reference signal measurement opportunity (RS-P MO, see ¶ 0053) is a time instance for transmission of a positioning reference signal, which will be measured (see also fig. 16, ¶ 0207). Measurement value (see y-axis of fig. 16) may be reasonably interpreted as obtaining a reception characteristic. Transceiver 310 (see fig. 3a) performs the obtaining.] of a channel sounding signal transmitted by a second UE during a first transmission occasion of a detection duration [Manolakos, ¶ 0198, “At 1410, the first wireless node (e.g., receiver 312 or 322 or 352 or 362, etc.) receives, from at least one second wireless node (e.g., UE, BS, etc.), RS-Ps (e.g., DL- PRS, UL-PRS or UL-SRS, SL-PRS, etc.) at a plurality of RS-P MOs of a same RS-P resource, wherein each RS-P MO is transmitted at a different time instance on the same bandwidth of a time interval. For example, the time interval may correspond to a gap between measurement reports in some designs”, The UE receives a plurality of RSP-MOs, occupied with reference signals for positioning (RS-Ps, see ¶ 0028), which include sidelink position reference signals (SL-PRS, see ¶ 0196). SL-PRS are understood as signals exchanged between UEs, which implies that the received signal is transmitted by a second UE. Each SL-PRS is transmitted in its own time instance (see fig. 16). More than one SL-PRS is sent within a time interval.].
Manolakos et al. do not explicitly teach means for performing one or more sensing operations based on a difference between the one or more first reception characteristics and the one or more second reception characteristics indicating a presence, absence, or movement of an object.
However, in an analogous art, Koirala et al. teach means for performing one or more sensing operations based on a difference between the one or more first reception characteristics and the one or more second reception characteristics indicating a presence, absence, or movement of an object [Koirala, ¶ 0487, “At 1812, the anchor WTRU 102a may transmit (e.g., using the identified sub-group transmission configuration) a set of RSs, such as SL-PRSs, which may be received by the anchor WTRUs 102b and 102c (e.g., using the identified sub-group reception configuration). For example, the transmitted RSs may be send during a sub-group sensing window duration. At 1814, a measurement report may be received from the sub-group by the WTRU 102. For example, the measurement report may include an obstacle location determined using bistatic sensing according to the transmitted RSs at 1812”, Fig. 18 detects an obstacle using SL-PRS (see earlier in ¶ 0487). Anchor UE (or second UE, see fig. 18, element 102a) transmits a number of slidelink positioning reference signals (SL-PRS, see message 1812 and ¶ 0171) during a subgroup sensing window duration (see fig. 18, period between start time and stop time). RTT is for bistatic sensing (see ¶ 0225), where the time difference between transmission and reception (see ¶ 0224) is used for determining the presence (and location) of an obstacle (see fig. 7, ¶s 0250-0258). Anchor UE 102b (or the first UE) performs RTT measurement for the received SL-PRS using bistatic sensing (or a sensing operation), which is used to detect the presence of an object (see fig. 7). Anchor UE 102b uses a threshold and the difference between RTT values to detect an obstacle (see fig. 9, ¶ 0313). Further, an increase in RTT values between reference signals implies obstacle velocity (see fig. 19, ¶ 0498). The measurement report may include obstacle location (or presence) and velocity (see ¶ 0486) based on the RTT values. UE 102 (see fig. 1b) contains a processor and a memory to implement the functions of the UE (see ¶s 0074, 0082).].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the measurement report using bistatic sensing as taught by Koirala et al. into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because modifying the measurement report of Manolakos et al. (see ¶ 0200) with elements of the measurement report of Koirala et al. would allow for obstacle detection with a reasonable expectation of success.
As per claim 30, Manolakos et al. teach a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that [Manolakos, ¶ 0114, “the positioning modules 342, 388 and 389 may be memory modules (as shown in FIGS. 3A-C) stored in the memory components 340, 386, and 396, respectively, that, when executed by the processing systems 332, 384, and 394, cause the apparatuses 302, 304, and 306 to perform the functionality described herein”, Positioning module 340 of Fig. 3a (a UE) resides in memory and is executed by a processor (element 332) to perform the disclosed methods. The data bus (element 334) connects/couples the transceiver, memory, and processor for operations purposes (see ¶ 0126).], when executed by a first user equipment (UE) [Manolakos, ¶ 0197, “FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary process 1400 of wireless communication, according to aspects of the disclosure. In an aspect, the process 1400 may be performed by a first wireless node, such as UE 302”, The relied upon method may be performed by a UE.], cause the first UE to:
obtain one or more first reception characteristics [Manolakos, ¶ 0199, “At 1420, the first wireless node (e.g., receiver 312 or 322 or 352 or 362, transmitter 314 or 324 or 354 or 364, etc.) performs, for a set of measurement types, one or more measurements of the RS-Ps at each of the plurality of RS-P MOs”, The UE (see fig. 3a, element 312, ¶s 0107 and 0108) performs measurement on the received signals from step 1410. A reference signal measurement opportunity (RS-P MO, see ¶ 0053) is a time instance for transmission of a positioning reference signal, which will be measured (see also fig. 16, ¶ 0207). Measurement value (see y-axis of fig. 16) may be reasonably interpreted as obtaining a reception characteristic.] of a channel sounding signal transmitted by a second UE during a first transmission occasion of a detection duration [Manolakos, ¶ 0198, “At 1410, the first wireless node (e.g., receiver 312 or 322 or 352 or 362, etc.) receives, from at least one second wireless node (e.g., UE, BS, etc.), RS-Ps (e.g., DL- PRS, UL-PRS or UL-SRS, SL-PRS, etc.) at a plurality of RS-P MOs of a same RS-P resource, wherein each RS-P MO is transmitted at a different time instance on the same bandwidth of a time interval. For example, the time interval may correspond to a gap between measurement reports in some designs”, The UE receives a plurality of RSP-MOs, occupied with reference signals for positioning (RS-Ps, see ¶ 0028), which include sidelink position reference signals (SL-PRS, see ¶ 0196). SL-PRS are understood as signals exchanged between UEs, which implies that the received signal is transmitted by a second UE. Each SL-PRS is transmitted in its own time instance (see fig. 16). More than one SL-PRS is sent within a time interval.];
obtain one or more second reception characteristics [Manolakos, ¶ 0199, “At 1420, the first wireless node (e.g., receiver 312 or 322 or 352 or 362, transmitter 314 or 324 or 354 or 364, etc.) performs, for a set of measurement types, one or more measurements of the RS-Ps at each of the plurality of RS-P MOs”, The UE (see fig. 3a, element 312, ¶s 0107 and 0108) performs measurement on the received signals from step 1410. A reference signal measurement opportunity (RS-P MO, see ¶ 0053) is a time instance for transmission of a positioning reference signal, which will be measured (see also fig. 16, ¶ 0207). Measurement value (see y-axis of fig. 16) may be reasonably interpreted as obtaining a reception characteristic.] of a channel sounding signal transmitted by a second UE during a first transmission occasion of a detection duration [Manolakos, ¶ 0198, “At 1410, the first wireless node (e.g., receiver 312 or 322 or 352 or 362, etc.) receives, from at least one second wireless node (e.g., UE, BS, etc.), RS-Ps (e.g., DL- PRS, UL-PRS or UL-SRS, SL-PRS, etc.) at a plurality of RS-P MOs of a same RS-P resource, wherein each RS-P MO is transmitted at a different time instance on the same bandwidth of a time interval. For example, the time interval may correspond to a gap between measurement reports in some designs”, The UE receives a plurality of RSP-MOs, occupied with reference signals for positioning (RS-Ps, see ¶ 0028), which include sidelink position reference signals (SL-PRS, see ¶ 0196). SL-PRS are understood as signals exchanged between UEs, which implies that the received signal is transmitted by a second UE. Each SL-PRS is transmitted in its own time instance (see fig. 16). More than one SL-PRS is sent within a time interval.].
Manolakos et al. do not explicitly teach perform one or more sensing operations based on a difference between the one or more first reception characteristics and the one or more second reception characteristics indicating a presence, absence, or movement of an object.
However, in an analogous art, Koirala et al. teach perform one or more sensing operations based on a difference between the one or more first reception characteristics and the one or more second reception characteristics indicating a presence, absence, or movement of an object [Koirala, ¶ 0487, “At 1812, the anchor WTRU 102a may transmit (e.g., using the identified sub-group transmission configuration) a set of RSs, such as SL-PRSs, which may be received by the anchor WTRUs 102b and 102c (e.g., using the identified sub-group reception configuration). For example, the transmitted RSs may be send during a sub-group sensing window duration. At 1814, a measurement report may be received from the sub-group by the WTRU 102. For example, the measurement report may include an obstacle location determined using bistatic sensing according to the transmitted RSs at 1812”, Fig. 18 detects an obstacle using SL-PRS (see earlier in ¶ 0487). Anchor UE (or second UE, see fig. 18, element 102a) transmits a number of slidelink positioning reference signals (SL-PRS, see message 1812 and ¶ 0171) during a subgroup sensing window duration (see fig. 18, period between start time and stop time). RTT is for bistatic sensing (see ¶ 0225), where the time difference between transmission and reception (see ¶ 0224) is used for determining the presence (and location) of an obstacle (see fig. 7, ¶s 0250-0258). Anchor UE 102b (or the first UE) performs RTT measurement for the received SL-PRS using bistatic sensing (or a sensing operation), which is used to detect the presence of an object (see fig. 7). Anchor UE 102b uses a threshold and the difference between RTT values to detect an obstacle (see fig. 9, ¶ 0313). Further, an increase in RTT values between reference signals implies obstacle velocity (see fig. 19, ¶ 0498). The measurement report may include obstacle location (or presence) and velocity (see ¶ 0486) based on the RTT values.].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the measurement report using bistatic sensing as taught by Koirala et al. into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because modifying the measurement report of Manolakos et al. (see ¶ 0200) with elements of the measurement report of Koirala et al. would allow for obstacle detection with a reasonable expectation of success.
Claims 4, 9, 10, and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Manolakos et al. (WO 2022/150117, cited on IDS dated 4/4/2025) in view of Koirala et al. (WO 2025/034848) and Jeon et al. (US PG Pub 2023/0324533).
As per claim 4, Manolakos et al. in view of Koirala et al. teach the method of claim 1. Manolakos et al. do not explicitly teach further comprising: transmitting, to a network entity, a request to perform the one or more sensing operations.
However, in an analogous art, Jeon et al. teaches transmitting, to a network entity, a request to perform the one or more sensing operations [Jeon, ¶ 0285, “At step 902, the NW receives a sensing configuration request message including desired configuration(s) (sensing application type, range, and sensing periodicity, etc.) for the UE's intended sensing operation”, The UE sends a request for sensing configuration information to perform its sensing operations.].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the sensing operation setup as taught by Jeon et al. into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because utilizing setup signalling is a known technique within the art that provides overhead setup support with a reasonable expectation of success.
As per claim 9, Manolakos et al. in view of Koirala et al. and Jeon et al. teach the method of claim 4. Manolakos et al. do not explicitly teach further comprising: receiving, from the network entity, a resource allocation to perform the one or more sensing operations with a third UE.
However, in an analogous art, Jeon et al. teaches receiving, from the network entity, a resource allocation to perform the one or more sensing operations with a third UE [Jeon, ¶ 0307, “FIG. 12 is an example procedure for network controlled bistatic sensing involving two UEs 115, 116 and the network 710. In step 1201, the network 710 configures the first UE 116 with sensing transmission. Sensing transmission configuration 1101 can include sensing signal waveform, transmission power, transmission resource, timing, directional beam sweeping, etc., including but not limited to those described in TABLE 4”, The NW device sends sensing configuration information to the UE devices (see step 1201).].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the sensing operation setup as taught by Jeon et al. into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because utilizing setup signalling is a known technique within the art that provides overhead setup support with a reasonable expectation of success.
As per claim 10, Manolakos et al. in view of Koirala et al. and Jeon et al. teach the method of claim 4. Manolakos et al. do not explicitly teach wherein the one or more sensing operations comprise one or more bi-static or multi-static sensing operations.
However, in an analogous art, Koirala et al. teach wherein the one or more sensing operations comprise one or more bi-static or multi-static sensing operations [Koirala, ¶ 0556, Sensing information indicates either bistatic or monostatic sensing.].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the measurement report using bistatic sensing as taught by Koirala et al. into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because modifying the measurement report of Manolakos et al. (see ¶ 0200) with elements of the measurement report of Koirala et al. would allow for obstacle detection with a reasonable expectation of success.
As per claim 23, Manolakos et al. in view of Koirala et al. teach the first UE of claim 20. Manolakos et al. do not explicitly teach wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to: transmit, via the one or more transceivers, to a network entity, a request to perform the one or more sensing operations.
However, in an analogous art, Jeon et al. teaches transmit, via the one or more transceivers, to a network entity, a request to perform the one or more sensing operations [Jeon, ¶ 0285, “At step 902, the NW receives a sensing configuration request message including desired configuration(s) (sensing application type, range, and sensing periodicity, etc.) for the UE's intended sensing operation”, The UE sends a request for sensing configuration information to perform its sensing operations.].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the sensing operation setup as taught by Jeon et al. into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because utilizing setup signalling is a known technique within the art that provides overhead setup support with a reasonable expectation of success.
Claims 5-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Manolakos et al. (WO 2022/150117, cited on IDS dated 4/4/2025) in view of Koirala et al. (WO 2025/034848), Jeon et al. (US PG Pub 2023/0324533), and Qualcomm (R1-2303978, cited on IDS dated 4/4/2025).
As per claim 5, Manolakos et al. in view of Koirala et al. and Jeon et al. teach the method of claim 4. Manolakos et al. do not explicitly teach further comprising: transmitting, to the network entity, a sensing report indicating the difference between the one or more first reception characteristics and the one or more second reception characteristics, wherein the sensing report further includes an identifier of the channel sounding signal.
However, in an analogous art, Qualcomm teaches [Qualcomm, pg. 76, Agreement 2, “Agreement For the content of the sidelink positioning measurement report, potential elements may include at least the following: One or more sidelink positioning measurement(s), Timestamp(s) associated with a sidelink positioning measurement, Quality metric(s) associated with a sidelink positioning measurement, Identification Information for a sidelink positioning measurement”, The sensing report includes quality metrics (or reception characteristics) that were used for sidelink positioning measurement.].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the measurement report using bistatic sensing as taught by Qualcomm into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because modifying the measurement report of Manolakos et al. (see ¶ 0200) with elements of the measurement report as agreed upon in Qualcomm would allow for obstacle detection with a reasonable expectation of success.
As per claim 6, Manolakos et al. in view of Koirala et al., Jeon et al., and Qualcomm teach the method of claim 5. Manolakos et al. do not explicitly teach wherein the sensing report further includes one or more metrics for determining the difference between the one or more first reception characteristics and the one or more second reception characteristics.
However, in an analogous art, Qualcomm teaches [Qualcomm, pg. 76, Agreement 2, “Agreement For the content of the sidelink positioning measurement report, potential elements may include at least the following: One or more sidelink positioning measurement(s), Timestamp(s) associated with a sidelink positioning measurement, Quality metric(s) associated with a sidelink positioning measurement, Identification Information for a sidelink positioning measurement”, The sensing report includes quality metrics (or reception characteristics) that were used for sidelink positioning measurement.].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the measurement report using bistatic sensing as taught by Qualcomm into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because modifying the measurement report of Manolakos et al. (see ¶ 0200) with elements of the measurement report as agreed upon in Qualcomm would allow for obstacle detection with a reasonable expectation of success.
As per claim 7, Manolakos et al. in view of Koirala et al., Jeon et al., and Qualcomm teach the method of claim 6. Manolakos et al. do not explicitly teach wherein the one or more metrics comprise: timing, signal strength, channel estimate, phase, or any combination thereof.
However, in an analogous art, Qualcomm teaches wherein the one or more metrics comprise: timing [Qualcomm, pg. 76, Agreement 2, “Agreement For the content of the sidelink positioning measurement report, potential elements may include at least the following: One or more sidelink positioning measurement(s), Timestamp(s) associated with a sidelink positioning measurement, Quality metric(s) associated with a sidelink positioning measurement, Identification Information for a sidelink positioning measurement”, The sensing report includes timestamps that were used for sidelink positioning measurement.].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the measurement report using bistatic sensing as taught by Qualcomm into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because modifying the measurement report of Manolakos et al. (see ¶ 0200) with elements of the measurement report as agreed upon in Qualcomm would allow for obstacle detection with a reasonable expectation of success.
As per claim 8, Manolakos et al. in view of Koirala et al., Jeon et al., and Qualcomm teach the method of claim 5. Manolakos et al. do not explicitly teach wherein the sensing report further includes an indication of one or more resources on which to perform the one or more sensing operations, a type of waveform to use for the one or more sensing operations, or both.
However, in an analogous art, Qualcomm teaches the sensing report further includes an indication of one or more resources on which to perform the one or more sensing operations [Qualcomm, pg. 76, Agreement 2, “Agreement For the content of the sidelink positioning measurement report, potential elements may include at least the following: One or more sidelink positioning measurement(s), Timestamp(s) associated with a sidelink positioning measurement, Quality metric(s) associated with a sidelink positioning measurement, Identification Information for a sidelink positioning measurement”, The sensing report includes identification of resources used.].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the measurement report using bistatic sensing as taught by Qualcomm into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because modifying the measurement report of Manolakos et al. (see ¶ 0200) with elements of the measurement report as agreed upon in Qualcomm would allow for obstacle detection with a reasonable expectation of success.
Claims 15, 16, and 26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Manolakos et al. (WO 2022/150117, cited on IDS dated 4/4/2025) in view of Koirala et al. (WO 2025/034848), Kuo et al. (US PG Pub 2024/0334230), and Qualcomm (R1-2303978, cited on IDS dated 4/4/2025).
As per claim 15, Manolakos et al. in view of Koirala et al. teach the method of claim 1. Manolakos et al. do not explicitly teach further comprising: receiving a request to provide a sensing report indicating at least the difference between the one or more first reception characteristics and the one or more second reception characteristics and an identifier of the channel sounding signal.
However, in an analogous art, Kuo et al. teach receiving a request to provide a sensing report indicating…an identifier of the channel sounding signal [Kuo, ¶ 0075, “The operational flow/algorithmic structure 800 may include, at 806, receiving a reporting configuration that indicates a radio bearer. The reporting configuration is an example of the sensing result reporting configuration. The reporting configuration may include reporting periodicity or a radio resource set for reporting”, The network entity configures (or requests) the UE to perform reporting for a particular resource (or bearer) and periodicity.].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the sensing operation setup as taught by Kuo et al. into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because utilizing setup signalling is a known technique within the art that provides overhead setup support with a reasonable expectation of success.
In addition, in an analogous art, Qualcomm teaches a sensing report indicating at least the difference between the one or more first reception characteristics and the one or more second reception characteristics [Qualcomm, pg. 76, Agreement 2, “Agreement For the content of the sidelink positioning measurement report, potential elements may include at least the following: One or more sidelink positioning measurement(s), Timestamp(s) associated with a sidelink positioning measurement, Quality metric(s) associated with a sidelink positioning measurement, Identification Information for a sidelink positioning measurement”, The sensing report includes quality metrics (or differences between resources.].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the measurement report using bistatic sensing as taught by Qualcomm into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because modifying the measurement report of Manolakos et al. (see ¶ 0200) with elements of the measurement report as agreed upon in Qualcomm would allow for obstacle detection with a reasonable expectation of success.
As per claim 16, Manolakos et al. in view of Koirala et al., Kuo et al., and Qualcomm teach the method of claim 15. Manolakos et al. do not explicitly teach wherein the request indicates a time window within which to provide the sensing report.
However, in an analogous art, Kuo et al. teach wherein the request indicates a time window within which to provide the sensing report [Kuo, ¶ 0075, “The operational flow/algorithmic structure 800 may include, at 806, receiving a reporting configuration that indicates a radio bearer. The reporting configuration is an example of the sensing result reporting configuration. The reporting configuration may include reporting periodicity or a radio resource set for reporting”, The network entity configures (or requests) the UE to perform reporting for a particular resource (or bearer) and periodicity.].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the sensing operation setup as taught by Kuo et al. into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because utilizing setup signalling is a known technique within the art that provides overhead setup support with a reasonable expectation of success.
As per claim 26, Manolakos et al. in view of Koirala et al. teach the first UE of claim 20. Manolakos et al. do not explicitly teach wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, a request to provide a sensing report indicating at least the difference between the one or more first reception characteristics and the one or more second reception characteristics and an identifier of the channel sounding signal.
However, in an analogous art, Kuo et al. teach receive, via the one or more transceivers, a request to provide a sensing report indicating…an identifier of the channel sounding signal [Kuo, ¶ 0075, “The operational flow/algorithmic structure 800 may include, at 806, receiving a reporting configuration that indicates a radio bearer. The reporting configuration is an example of the sensing result reporting configuration. The reporting configuration may include reporting periodicity or a radio resource set for reporting”, The network entity configures (or requests) the UE to perform reporting for a particular resource (or bearer) and periodicity.].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the sensing operation setup as taught by Kuo et al. into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because utilizing setup signalling is a known technique within the art that provides overhead setup support with a reasonable expectation of success.
In addition, in an analogous art, Qualcomm teaches a sensing report indicating at least the difference between the one or more first reception characteristics and the one or more second reception characteristics [Qualcomm, pg. 76, Agreement 2, “Agreement For the content of the sidelink positioning measurement report, potential elements may include at least the following: One or more sidelink positioning measurement(s), Timestamp(s) associated with a sidelink positioning measurement, Quality metric(s) associated with a sidelink positioning measurement, Identification Information for a sidelink positioning measurement”, The sensing report includes quality metrics (or differences between resources.].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the measurement report using bistatic sensing as taught by Qualcomm into Manolakos et al. One would have been motivated to do this because modifying the measurement report of Manolakos et al. (see ¶ 0200) with elements of the measurement report as agreed upon in Qualcomm would allow for obstacle detection with a reasonable expectation of success.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
The reference, Liu et al. (WO 2024/250232), teaches sidelink positioning reference signalling between UEs (see at least abstract).
The reference, Yu et al. (US PG Pub 2024/0340780), teaches sensing operations performed between terminals (see at least fig. 6).
The reference, Keshavamurthy et al (US PG Pub 2024/0272294), teaches SL-PRS signalling between UEs (see at least fig. 2).
The reference, Gummadi et al. (US PG Pub 2023/0314584), teaches dynamic sensing capabilities (see at least fig. 6).
The reference, Salami et al. (NPL cited on PTO-892), teaches sidelink mmWave sensing (see at least fig. 3).
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/Paul H. Masur/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2417