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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
As required by M.P.E.P. 609(c), the Applicant's submissions of the Information Disclosure Statement is acknowledged by the examiner and the cited references have been considered in the examination of the claims now pending. As required by M.P.E.P. 609 C(2), a copy of the PTOL-1449 initialed and dated by the examiner is attached to the instant office action.
Applicant’s Information Disclosure Statement has been received, entered into the record, and considered. See attached form PTO-1449.
Restriction Remarks
Claims 1-30 are pending.
Claims 11-30 are withdrawn as of November 26, 2026, without traverse.
Claims 1-10 are examined.
This application contains claims are drawn to an invention nonelected without traverse in the reply filed on November 26, 2026. A complete reply to the final rejection must include cancellation of nonelected claims or other appropriate action (37 CFR 1.144) See MPEP § 821.01.
Applicant is reminded that upon the cancellation of claims to a non-elected invention, the inventorship must be amended in compliance with 37 CFR 1.48(b) if one or more of the currently named inventors is no longer an inventor of at least one claim remaining in the application. Any amendment of inventorship must be accompanied by a request under 37 CFR 1.48(b) and by the fee required under 37 CFR 1.17(i).
Applicant is reminded that upon the cancellation of claims to a non-elected invention with Applicant’s amendment and response to this non-final office action.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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.
Claims 1-10 are are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Bao et al. (US Patent No. 12003977 B2 and Bao hereinafter) .
The applied reference has a common assignee with the instant application. Based upon the earlier effectively filed date of the reference, it constitutes prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2). This rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) might be overcome by: (1) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(a) that the subject matter disclosed in the reference was obtained directly or indirectly from the inventor or a joint inventor of this application and is thus not prior art in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(A); (2) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(b) of a prior public disclosure under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(B) if the same invention is not being claimed; or (3) a statement pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) establishing that, not later than the effective filing date of the claimed invention, the subject matter disclosed in the reference and the claimed invention were either owned by the same person or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person or subject to a joint research agreement.
Regarding Claim 1, Bao teaches user equipment (UE), comprising:
one or more memories (Figure 2, infra); one or more transceivers;(Figure 2, infra) and 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, configured to: Figure 2, whole figure, infra:
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receive, via the one or more transceivers (Figure 2, supra, a first sounding reference signal (SRS) configuration (i.e., receiving one or more uplink positioning reference signals measurement values associated with the user equipment from a one or more wireless nodes. transmitted from the user equipment. The server 400, including the processor 410 and the transceiver 415, is a means for receiving the UL PRS measurement values. A UE is configured to transmit one or more UL PRS signals which are received and measured by the one or more wireless nodes.) (Col 29, lines 12-25) and (i.e., positioning reference signal and PRS are reference signals that can be used for positioning, such as but not limited to, PRS signals, navigation reference signals (NRS) in 5G, downlink position reference signals (DL-PRS), uplink position reference signals (UL-PRS), tracking reference signals (TRS), cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), sounding reference signals (SRS), etc.) (Col 20, lines 54-63) (Examiner asserts that a sounding reference signal an uplink signal); and transmit, via the one or more transceivers (i.e., transmitting one or more downlink positioning reference signals based on the downlink positioning reference signal configuration information. The TRP 300, including the processor 310 and the transceiver 315, is a means for transmitting one or more DL PRS)(Col 28, lines 37-49), at least a first SRS in accordance with the first SRS configuration (i.e., positioning reference signal and PRS are reference signals that can be used for positioning, such as but not limited to, PRS signals, navigation reference signals (NRS) in 5G, downlink position reference signals (DL-PRS), uplink position reference signals (UL-PRS), tracking reference signals (TRS), cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), sounding reference signals (SRS), etc.) (Col 20, lines 54-63); determine to transmit a SRS for sensing (SRS-S) (i.e., positioning reference signal and PRS are reference signals that can be used for positioning, such as but not limited to, PRS signals, navigation reference signals (NRS) in 5G, downlink position reference signals (DL-PRS), uplink position reference signals (UL-PRS), tracking reference signals (TRS), cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), sounding reference signals (SRS), etc.) (Col 21, lines 34-58); determine a second SRS configuration that shares one or more common parameters with the first SRS configuration (i.e., uplink positioning reference signals transmitted from the user equipment. The TRP 300, including the processor 310 and the transceiver 315, is a means for receiving the UL PRS. The UE is configured to transmit one or more UL PRS signals. The UL PRS may be transmitted with our without repetitions and with the same or different transmit beams ) (Col 27, lines 40-53) and (Col 25, lines 4-25); and transmit, via the one or more transceivers (Col 25, lines 40-56), the SRS-S in accordance with the second SRS configuration (i.e., positioning reference signal and PRS are reference signals that can be used for positioning, such as but not limited to, PRS signals, navigation reference signals (NRS) in 5G, downlink position reference signals (DL-PRS), uplink position reference signals (UL-PRS), tracking reference signals (TRS), cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), sounding reference signals (SRS), etc.) (Col 21, lines 34-58).
Regarding Claim 2, Bao teaches 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 trigger the transmission of the SRS- S from a wireless network component, wherein the determination to transmit the SRS-S is based on the request (i.e. service requests) (Col 9, lines 45-64) and (i.e., configured to initialize the DL PRS procedure based on the configuration determined at stage 1016. In an example, the DL PRS procedure may be initialized based on an on-demand PRS request received by a station from the UE 1005) (Col 24, lines 46-67).
Regarding Claim 3, Bao teaches wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to: perform one or more measurements, wherein the determination to transmit the SRS-S is based on the one or more measurements (i.e., uplink and downlink positioning reference signals are shown. The bandwidth comparisons are conceptual examples and not limitations. In general, a UE may have reduced power and beam forming capabilities as compared to a base station. The power limitation may also include using a reduce bandwidth for the UL PRS transmissions. FIG. 11A depicts a first example where the UL and DL PRS utilize the same frequency band, and a UL PRS bandwidth 1102 and a first DL PRS bandwidth 1104 are the same) (Col 25, lines 4-28) and Figure 11A, whole figure:
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Regarding Claim 4, Bao teaches wherein the one or more measurements comprise one or more downlink measurements (i.e., receiving downlink positioning reference signal configuration information associated at least in part with the one or more uplink positioning reference signals. The UE 200, including the processor 230 and transceiver 215, is a means for receiving the DL PRS configuration information. In operation, a network server (e.g., the LMF 120) may be configured to provide DL PRS configuration information to the UE based at least in part on UL PRS AoA, timing and signal strength information associated with the UL PRS transmitted at stage 1204 and reported by one or more base stations … DL PRS resource time gap, the muting options, the DL PRS comb size, and the DL PRS QCL information based at least in part on the measurements of the UL PRS transmitted) (Col 26, lines 12-39).
Regarding Claim 5, Bao teaches wherein the one or more common parameters comprise a common: SRS port, or transmission beam, or phase, with phase coherence maintained between the SRS-S and the first SRS, or power spectrum density, or any combination thereof (Figure 8, whole figure, infra:
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Regarding Claim 6, Bao teaches wherein the second SRS configuration includes at least one parameter that differs from the first SRS configuration (i.e., managing positioning reference signals in communication network, measuring downlink positioning reference signals includes transmitting one or more uplink positioning reference signals, receiving downlink positioning reference signal configuration information associated at least in part with the one or more uplink positioning reference signals, and measuring one or more downlink positioning reference signals based at least in part on the downlink positioning reference signal configuration information ) (Abstract).
Regarding Claim 7, Bao teaches wherein the first SRS configuration is associated with a first bandwidth and the second SRS configuration is associated with a second bandwidth that is greater than the first bandwidth (i.e., uplink and downlink positioning reference signals are shown. The bandwidth comparisons are conceptual examples and not limitations. In general, a UE may have reduced power and beam forming capabilities as compared to a base station. The power limitation may also include using a reduce bandwidth for the UL PRS transmissions. FIG. 11A depicts a first example where the UL and DL PRS utilize the same frequency band, and a UL PRS bandwidth 1102 and a first DL PRS bandwidth 1104 are the same) (Col 25, lines 4-28) and (Figure 11A, whole figure:
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.
Regarding Claim 8, Bao teaches wherein the SRS-S is associated with a bistatic sensing operation (i.e., positioning reference signal and PRS are reference signals that can be used for positioning, such as but not limited to, PRS signals, navigation reference signals (NRS) in 5G, downlink position reference signals (DL-PRS), uplink position reference signals (UL-PRS), tracking reference signals (TRS), cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), sounding reference signals (SRS), etc.) (Col 21, lines 34-58).
Regarding Claim 9, Bao teaches wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to: transmit, via the one or more transceivers, a second SRS in accordance with the first SRS configuration (i.e., one or more uplink positioning signal measurement values. The method may include receiving assistance data including uplink positioning reference signal beam information from the user equipment, and determining the downlink positioning reference signal configuration based at least in part on the assistance data. The one or more uplink positioning reference signal measurement values may include at least one of an angles of arrival, a signal strength, or a time of arrival. The one or more uplink positioning reference signal measurement values may be associated with a first bandwidth, and the downlink positioning reference signal configuration may include downlink positioning reference signals configured for transmission with a second bandwidth that is different from the first bandwidth) (Col 1, lines 34-67 to Col 2, lines 17).
Regarding Claim 10, Bao teaches wherein the first SRS configuration is associated with a codebook physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a non-codebook PUSCH, an antenna switch, beam management, or positioning (i.e., overhead associated with PRS beam management is proportional to the number of stations in a network, as well as the number of transmit and receive beams each station may use. For example, if a first station is configured to periodically transmit PRS beams (resources) at varying angles (e.g., azimuths and/or elevations), and a second station is configured to periodically sweep through receive beam angles, then there may be a delay between the pairing of aligned transmit and receive beams. Such a pairing process may cause latency in positioning applications) (Col 5, lines 36-45); and (Col 9, lines 15-30).
Pertinent Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Bao et al., (US Patent No. 12003977 B2), “Uplink Assisted Positioning Reference Signal Beam Management” (June 4, 2024) discloses managing positioning reference signals in communication networks. A method of measuring downlink positioning reference signals includes transmitting one or more uplink positioning reference signals, receiving downlink positioning reference signal configuration information associated at least in part with the one or more uplink positioning reference signals, and measuring one or more downlink positioning reference signals based at least in part on the downlink positioning reference signal configuration information.
Communication
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DIANE D MIZRAHI whose telephone number is 571- 272-4079. The examiner can normally be reached on 7:30-3:30 PM (7:30 - 4:30 p.m.).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Alison T. Slater can be reached on (571) 270-0375. The fax phone numbers for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned are (703) 872-9306 for regular communications and for After Final communication.
Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application or proceeding should be directed to the receptionist whose telephone number is (571) 272-2600.
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/DIANE D MIZRAHI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2647
Diane.Mizrahi@USPTO.gov