DETAILED ACTION
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 Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 1-6, 8-19, 21, 22 and 24-40 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Zhang et al. (USPN 12,256,246).
Regarding claim 1, Zhang teaches a method performed by a target user equipment for performing positioning, the method comprising: receiving a control message from a network entity, the control message identifying a set of measurement time windows in which to perform measurements of one or more signals [Col. 13, lines 45-52, measurement gap configuration message identifies measurement gaps which are measurement time windows]; performing the measurements of the one or more signals within the set of measurement time windows [Col. 13, lines 53-67, performs measurement in the measurement time gap/window]; and transmitting a measurement report to the network entity, the measurement report comprising the measurements of the one or more signals performed within the set of measurement time windows [Col. 20, lines 27-43, measurement report is transmitted once measurement is completed].
Regarding claims 2 and 30, Zhang teaches accessing a table that includes a set of measurement time windows [Fig. 4, measurement gap is selected from a set of configured gaps].
Regarding claims 3 and 31, Zhang teaches receiving an initial control message from the network entity that includes an initial set of measurement time windows, wherein the set of measurement time windows are selected from the initial set of measurement time windows [Col. 18, lines 22-64, measurement gaps are preconfigured using control message].
Regarding claims 4 and 32, Zhang teaches sending a capability message indicating that the target user equipment supports receiving the initial control message that identifies the initial set of measurement time windows [Col. 18, lines 22-35, sends information about available time-frequency resources to configure measurement gaps].
Regarding claims 5 and 33, Zhang teaches at least one measurement time window of the set of measurement time windows corresponds to a measurement gap [Col. 13, lines 45-52].
Regarding claims 6 and 34, Zhang teaches at least one measurement time window of the set of measurement time windows is associated with multiple component carriers [Fig. 4].
Regarding claims 8 and 24, Zhang teaches a base station [Fig. 1, Network device]; and the control message comprises a Downlink Control Information message [Col. 20, lines 1-8].
Regarding claim 9, Zhang teaches identifies component carriers or bands on which the set of measurement time windows are scheduled [Col. 20, lines 1-26].
Regarding claim 10, Zhang teaches a Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) measurement; a Reference Signal Received Power measurement; a roundtrip time measurement; an Angle-of-Departure (AoD) measurement; a phase-difference based measurement; a line-of-sight (LOS) identifier; a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) identifier; a power delay profile measurement; or any combination thereof [Col. 14, line 64 – Col. 15, line 8].
Regarding claim 11, Zhang teaches the control message identifies the measurement report [Col. 18, lines 22-64]; and the set of measurement time windows identified in the control message is associated with the measurement report [Col. 18, lines 22-64].
Regarding claims 12, 25 and 38, Zhang teaches a position of a measurement request field in the control message identifies the measurement report from a plurality of measurement reports [Col. 19, lines 55-65].
Regarding claims 13, 26, 35 and 39, Zhang teaches each measurement time window of the set of measurement time windows is specified using an absolute time window [Fig. 4].
Regarding claims 14, 27, 36 and 40, Zhang teaches each measurement time window of the set of measurement time windows is specified using a start time relative to reception of the control message or relative to a slot carrying the control message [Fig. 4].
Regarding claim 15, Zhang teaches a slot-offset-start and either a slot-offset-end or a duration [Fig. 4].
Regarding claim 16, Zhang teaches the slot-offset-start is specified relative to a slot carrying the control message, relative to a fixed frame boundary, or relative to a subframe boundary [Col. 15, lines 18-51].
Regarding claim 17, Zhang teaches an instance-offset-start and either an instance-offset-end or a number-of-instances. relative to the control message [Fig. 4].
Regarding claim 18, Zhang teaches the number-of-instances relative to the control message corresponds to available slots [Fig. 4].
Regarding claim 19, Zhang teaches the available slots are configured using semi- static downlink signaling [Col. 20, lines 1-8].
Regarding claim 21, Zhang teaches the target user equipment prioritizes performing the measurements of the one or more signals within the set of measurement time windows over other measurement time windows signaled via higher layer signaling [Col. 13, lines 53-67].
Regarding claim 22, Zhang teaches a method performed by a network entity for performing positioning, the method comprising: sending a control message to a target user equipment, the control message identifying a measurement report and a set of measurement time windows in which to perform measurements associated with the measurement report [Col. 13, lines 45-52, measurement gap configuration message identifies measurement gaps which are measurement time windows]; and receiving the measurement report comprising the measurements performed within the set of measurement time windows from the target user equipment [Col. 20, lines 27-43, measurement report is transmitted once measurement is completed].
Regarding claim 28, Zhang teaches each measurement time window of the set of measurement time windows comprises a slot-offset-start and either a slot-offset-end or a duration [Fig. 4]; and the slot-offset-start is specified relative to a slot carrying the control message or relative to a fixed frame boundary or a subframe boundary [Col. 15, lines 18-51].
Regarding claim 29, Zhang teaches a target user equipment, comprising: a memory [Fig. 16, 820]; at least one transceiver [Fig. 16, 830]; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: receive, via the at least one transceiver, a control message from a network entity, the control message identifying a set of measurement time windows in which to perform measurements of one or more signals [Col. 13, lines 45-52, measurement gap configuration message identifies measurement gaps which are measurement time windows]; perform the measurements of the one or more signals within the set of measurement time windows [Col. 13, lines 53-67, performs measurement in the measurement time gap/window]; and transmit, via the at least one transceiver, a measurement report to the network entity, the measurement report comprising the measurements of the one or more signals performed within the set of measurement time windows [Col. 20, lines 27-43, measurement report is transmitted once measurement is completed].
Regarding claim 37, Zhang teaches a network entity, comprising: a memory [Fig. 18, 920]; at least one transceiver [Fig. 18, 930]; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: send, via the at least one transceiver, a control message to a target user equipment, the control message identifying a measurement report and a set of measurement time windows in which to perform measurements associated with the measurement report [Col. 13, lines 45-52, measurement gap configuration message identifies measurement gaps which are measurement time windows]; and receive, via the at least one transceiver, the measurement report comprising the measurements performed within the set of measurement time windows from the target user equipment [Col. 20, lines 27-43, measurement report is transmitted once measurement is completed].
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 7 and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over anticipated by Zhang et al. (USPN 12,256,246) in view of Miao et al. (US-PGPUB 2022/0264478).
Regarding claims 7 and 23, Zhang teaches a requesting user equipment [Fig. 2, Terminal Device].
However, Zhang does not teach a Sidelink Control Information (SCI) message.
Miao teaches a Sidelink Control Information (SCI) message [Para 101].
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention use SCI message so that indication for measurement reports can be transmitted using SCI messages.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 20 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Wang et al. (USPN 12,156,249) teaches determining channel measurement configuration for a terminal device. The channel measurement configuration is transmitted to the terminal device. The channel measurement configuration comprises configuring the terminal device to measure a channel occupancy (CO) of channel. The channel is a bandwidth segment of a neighboring cell of the terminal device, or the channel is a bandwidth segment of a carrier. The channel measurement configuration is transmitted through radio resource control (RRC) signaling.
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/Chandrahas B Patel/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2464