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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 4/14/2026 has been entered.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-6, 8, 10-14, 16-18, 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fan (hereinafter Fan)(CN 114697987 A) in view of Lee et al. (hereinafter Lee)(US 2017/0295054).
Regarding claim 1, Fan teaches a user equipment ("UE") for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the UE to:segment the positioning report according to the set of segmentation criteria; and transmit the segmented positioning report using a small data transmission ("SDT") uplink connection while the UE remains in a low power state (page 3, receiving the first data threshold from a network element; page 4, segmentation; positioning indication information; comparing with threshold value; needs to be segmented; SDT; Page 8, RRC-idle or RRC inactive state…low power state).
Fan did not teach specifically configuration that defines segmentation criteria, wherein each segment comprises a respective portion of the report. However, Lee teaches in an analogous art configuration that defines segmentation criteria; report into a plurality of segments, wherein each segment comprises a respective portion of the report (P[0089], reports into multiple messages; segmented reporting; self-decodable; P[0108], self-contained and the node is able to interpret the reporting results; each measurement report contains the necessary parameters for the network to be able to identify what is reported). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have the configuration that defines segmentation criteria; report into a plurality of segments, wherein each segment comprises a respective portion of the report in order to have efficien reporting.
Regarding claim 2, Fan teaches the UE, wherein the low power state comprises one of an RRC_INACTIVE state and an RRC_IDLE state(page 8, RRC_INACTIVE state and an RRC_IDLE state).
Regarding claim 3, Fan teaches the UE, wherein segmentation criteria for the positioning report comprises a type of positioning method used to generate the positioning report, the type of positioning method comprising one or more of a RAT-dependent method and a RAT-independent method(page 2, RAT dependent and RAT independent positioning technology).
Regarding claim 5, Fan teaches the UE, wherein segmentation criteria for the positioning report comprises a positioning quality of service ("QoS") of one or more positioning measurements(page 9, QoS management).
Regarding claim 6, Fan in view of Lee teaches all the particulars of the claim except, wherein segments of the positioning report that are transmitted are self-decodable and self-contained(Lee: P[0089], reports into multiple messages; segmented reporting; self-decodable; P[0108], self-contained and the node is able to interpret the reporting results; each measurement report contains the necessary parameters for the network to be able to identify what is reported).
Regarding claim 8, Fan teaches the UE of claim 1, wherein the processor autonomously configures and segments the positioning report for small data transmission in RRC_INACTIVE state(page 4; segmentation based on data threshold value; page 7, RRC-inactive state).
Regarding claim 10, Fan teaches the UE of claim 1, wherein at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to transmit the segmented positioning report using one of a configured grant SDT and a random-access channel SDT(page 8, configuration grant-based; SDT).
Regarding claim 11, Fan in view of Lee teaches the UE of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to cause the UE to detect a trigger for transmitting the segmented positioning report using SDT, the trigger comprising a segment of the positioning report satisfying a data volume threshold(Fan: page 8; RACH-based solution; data threshold in determining the transmission method).
Regarding claim 12, Fan teaches the UE of claim 1, wherein the UE is configured to cause the UE to transmit, to the network, capability information for performing positioning measurements corresponding to a positioning technique in the low power state(Page 7, RRC-Inactive, UE needs to report the positioning result to the network; needs to be supported by the UE under the RRC-inactive).
Claims 13, 14, 16 are rejected for the same reason as set forth in claim 1.
Claims 17-18 and 20 are rejected for the same reason as set forth in claims 2, 3 and 5 respectively.
Claim(s) 4, 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fan (hereinafter Fan)(CN 114697987 A) in view of Lee et al. (hereinafter Lee)(US 2017/0295054) and Yang et al. (hereinafter Yang)(US 2021/0195000).
Regarding claim 4, Fan in view of Lee teaches all the particulars of the claim except, wherein segmentation criteria for the positioning report comprises a priority of requested positioning measurements associated with a positioning method. However, Yang teaches in an analogous art wherein segmentation criteria for the positioning report comprises a priority of requested positioning measurements associated with a positioning method(P[0057], small data; priority information to target data unit). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention for the UE to have segmentation criteria for the positioning report comprises a priority of requested positioning measurements associated with a positioning method in order to improve efficiency.
Claim 19 is rejected for the same reason as set forth in claim 4.
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fan (hereinafter Fan)(CN 114697987 A) in view of Lee et al. (hereinafter Lee)(US 2017/0295054) and Wang et al. (hereinafter Wang)(CN 114698151 A).
Regarding claim 7, Fan in view of Lee teaches all the particulars of the claim except, wherein a first portion of the positioning report segments are transmitted in an RRCINACTIVE state and a second portion of the positioning report segments are transmitted in an RRC_CONNECTED state according to an indication received from the network. However, Wang teaches in an analogous art wherein a first portion of the positioning report segments are transmitted in an RRCINACTIVE state and a second portion of the positioning report segments are transmitted in an RRC_CONNECTED state according to an indication received from the network(page 7, small data then in connected state transmit the data). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention for the UE to transmit data wherein a first portion of the positioning report segments are transmitted in an RRCINACTIVE state and a second portion of the positioning report segments are transmitted in an RRC_CONNECTED state according to an indication received from the network in order to reduce the signaling cost.
Claim(s) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fan (hereinafter Fan)(CN 114697987 A) in view of Lee et al. (hereinafter Lee)(US 2017/0295054) and Jung et al. (hereinafter Jung)(KR 20140042338 A)
Regarding claim 15, Fan in view of Lee teaches all the particulars of the claim except, wherein at least one processor is configured to cause the network equipment to a discontinuous reception ("DRX") configuration indicating a power state. However, Jung teaches in an analogous art wherein at least one processor is configured to cause the network equipment to a discontinuous reception ("DRX") configuration indicating a power state(figure 11, base station is received from the terminal UE power state; DRX related parameters). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention for the network wherein at least one processor is configured to cause the network equipment to a discontinuous reception ("DRX") configuration indicating a power state in order to reduce save power.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fan (hereinafter Fan)(CN 114697987 A) in view of Lee et al. (hereinafter Lee)(US 2017/0295054) and Freda et al. (hereinafter Freda)(US 2021/0014791 A1)
Regarding claim 9, Fan in view of Lee teaches all the particulars of the claim except, wherein the transceiver receives an indication to perform report segmentation from the network in an RRC_CONNECTED state prior to transitioning to an RRC_INACTIVE state. However, Freda teaches in an analogous art wherein the transceiver receives an indication to perform report segmentation from the network in an RRC_CONNECTED state prior to transitioning to an RRC_INACTIVE state(P[0284], UE may be configured in one activity state to perform segmentation). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention for the transceiver receives an indication to perform report segmentation from the network in an RRC_CONNECTED state prior to transitioning to an RRC_INACTIVE state to in order to improve efficiency.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
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/MUTHUSWAMY G MANOHARAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2647
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