Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/588,382

NON-LINEAR FREQUENCY-MODULATED CONTINUOUS WAVE (FMCW)-BASED RF SENSING

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Feb 27, 2024
Examiner
HENSON, BRANDON JAMES
Art Unit
3648
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Qualcomm Incorporated
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
69%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 3m
To Grant
96%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 69% — above average
69%
Career Allow Rate
38 granted / 55 resolved
+17.1% vs TC avg
Strong +27% interview lift
Without
With
+27.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 3m
Avg Prosecution
61 currently pending
Career history
116
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.4%
-36.6% vs TC avg
§103
53.1%
+13.1% vs TC avg
§102
21.6%
-18.4% vs TC avg
§112
21.1%
-18.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 55 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
DETAILED ACTION Status of Claims Claims 1-30 are currently pending and have been examined in this application. This NON-FINAL communication is the first action on the merits. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . 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, 5-16, 20-22, 24-28, 30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li (US 20250286671) in view of Rafique (US 20250251508). Regarding Claims 1, Li teaches the following limitations: A method at a sensing node of non-linear frequency-modulated (NLFM) radio frequency (RF) sensing, the method comprising: (Li - [0002] This application belongs to the field of communication sensing technologies, and specifically relates to a resource configuration method, a resource determining method and apparatus, a communication device, and a storage medium. [0052] In a mobile communication network, a base station (including one or more TRPs on the base station, a user equipment (User Equipment, UE, or a “terminal”) (including one or more antenna sub-arrays/panels (Panels) on the UE)) may serve as a sensing node participating in a sensing or an ISAC service. [0054] When a Doppler frequency shift of a target echo is large, a large ranging error is generated. A sidelobe level of an autocorrelation function of a nonlinear frequency modulation signal (Non LFM, NLFM) is improved, but there is still a large range sidelobe on a high Doppler frequency section of an ambiguity function. A sidelobe of a large target or clutter covers a mainlobe of a small target near the sidelobe. In a multi-target environment, synthesis of a plurality of sidelobes of a target response may even cover a mainlobe of a stronger target response. It can be learned that there is a problem in the related art that signal sensing performance is poor. Li teaches “Costa Array” and does not explicitly teach non-linear frequency-modulated (NLFM) radio frequency (RF) sensing.) receiving an NLFM configuration at the sensing node from a configuring node of a wireless network, (Li – [Abstract] The resource configuration method in embodiments of this application includes: configuring, by a signal sending node, a first resource based on a predetermined first array, where the first array includes at least one Costas array or at least one Costas array set, and each Costas array set includes at least one Costas array; and sending, by the signal sending node, a first signal by using the first resource. [0053] In the embodiments of this application, the signal sending node and the signal receiving node may be a same device or different devices. For example, a sensing node A sends a first signal, a sensing node B receives the first signal, and the sensing node A and the sensing node B are not a same device and are separated in physical locations; or a sensing node A sends and receives a first signal, in other words, the sensing signal is sent and received by a same device, and the sensing node senses by receiving a signal echo sent by the sensing node. For ease of description, in the embodiments of this application, that the signal sending node and the signal receiving node are different devices is used as an example for description. [0129] the signal sending node receives first configuration information, where the first configuration information is used for configuring the first signal;) wherein the NLFM configuration is indicative of a set of one or more parameters of a non-linear function describing time-varying frequency characteristics of an NLFM signal to be used by the sensing node for RF sensing; and (Li – [Fig. 3a-b], [0055] In the embodiments of this application, a first resource is configured through a Costas array, and a first signal is sent by using the first resource. Because a Costas array has a special sequence structure, and Costas arrays of different orders all have a “pin-shaped” ambiguity function, a resource sequence of a first resource configured based on the Costas array also has a “pin-shaped” ambiguity function. The first signal is sent by using the first resource, so that a main peak of the first signal is high and sharp, a sub-peak is low and flat, and a signal resolution is high. It can be learned that signal sensing performance can be improved according to this embodiment of this application.) performing an RF sensing function with the sensing node in accordance with the NLFM configuration. (Li – [0052], [0053], [0055] first signal is sent by using the first resource Li does not explicitly teach “NLFM configuration”.) Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Rafique, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: non-linear frequency-modulated (NLFM) radio frequency (RF) sensing (Rafique – [0164] A reference signal may be determined by a standard, a configuration of transmitter and/or receiver, and/or the like. Identification of sensing signal is explained in detail in section Identification of sensing signals… a first reference signal waveform may comprise one or more non-linear chirps, i.e. NL-FM chirps. At least one of the one or more non-linear chirps may be, for instance, a hyperbolic chirp. For example, a first non-linear chirp out of the one or more non-linear chirps has an increasing frequency and a second non-linear chirp out of the one or more non-linear chirps has a decreasing frequency. Corresponding to the transmitting of the sensing signal, the second reference waveform may be a linear chirp.) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the Costa Arrays of Li with the NLFM configuration of Rafique in order to improve sidelobe suppression (Rafique – [0100]). Regarding Claim 5, Li further teaches: wherein the sensing node comprises a user equipment (UE) or a base station. (Li - [0052]) Regarding Claim 6, Li further teaches: wherein: the set of parameters comprises one of a plurality of parameter sets included in the NLFM configuration; and (Li – [0129], [0110] The structure of the first array is, for example, an order of a Costas array and a type of the Costas array. The type of the Costas array may include at least one of a Welch-Costas array, a Golomb-Costas array, and a Lempel-Costas array. Once the structure of the first array is determined, a relative position of a time-frequency resource element to which the first array is mapped is determined. The position of the time-frequency resource to which the first array is mapped is, for example, a position of the Costas array in the available time-frequency resource. [0111] Once the structure of the first array and the position of the time-frequency resource to which the first array is mapped are determined, an absolute position of the time-frequency resource to which the first array is mapped is determined, and the signal sending node may configure the first resource based on the absolute position of the time-frequency resource to which the first array is mapped. Li does not explicitly teach “NLFM capability information”.) performing the RF sensing function is based at least in part on a trigger message received from a base station, the trigger message identifying the set of parameters from the plurality of parameter sets. (Li – [0052], [0053], [0129], [0247] As shown in FIG. 7b, when the sensing signal is configured as the aperiodic perceptual signal, the network side device triggers sending and measurement of the CSI-RS through a method of sending DCI 0_1 or MAC CE+DCI 0_1.) Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Rafique, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: NLFM configuration (Rafique – [0164]) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the Costa Arrays of Li with the NLFM configuration of Rafique in order to improve sidelobe suppression (Rafique – [0100]). Regarding Claims 7, 14, Li further teaches: wherein the sensing node comprises a transmit (Tx) sensing node, and (Li – [0052], [0053]) wherein performing the RF sensing function in accordance with the NLFM configuration comprises transmitting the NLFM signal. (Li – [0052], [0053], [0129]) Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Rafique, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: NLFM configuration (Rafique – [0164]) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the Costa Arrays of Li with the NLFM configuration of Rafique in order to improve sidelobe suppression (Rafique – [0100]). Regarding Claims 8, 26, Li further teaches: wherein transmitting the NLFM signal comprises transmitting one or more repetitions of the NLFM signal in a symbol of an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication scheme. (Li – [Fig. 3a-b], [0093] In an example, FIG. 3a and FIG. 3b provide schematic diagrams of resource mapping relationships of two Costas arrays in the OFDM. FIG. 3a shows two Costas arrays, orders of the two Costas arrays are both 6, and FIG. 3b shows one Costas array, and an order of the Costas array is 12. In all examples in this embodiment of this application, it is default that sub-carrier indexes in one RB are 0 to 11, and OFDM symbol indexes in one slot (Slot) are 0 to 13.) Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Rafique, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: NLFM signal (Rafique – [0164]) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the Costa Arrays of Li with the NLFM configuration of Rafique in order to improve sidelobe suppression (Rafique – [0100]). Regarding Claim 9, Li further teaches: wherein the OFDM communication scheme comprises cyclic prefix (CP)-OFDM in which each OFDM symbol is preceded by a period of time allocated for a CP, and (Li – [Fig. 3a-b], [0093] Li does not explicitly teach “cyclic prefix (CP)-OFDM”.) wherein transmitting the one or more repetitions of the NLFM signal in the symbol comprises transmitting the one or more repetitions such that: there is a first period of time prior to the beginning of the one or more repetitions during which the sensing node makes no transmission, (Li – [0176] an OFDM frame, or a time length of any pre-defined size in a time domain.) the first period of time comprising the period of time allocated for a CP immediately preceding the symbol; and (Li – [Fig. 3a-b], [0093], [0176]) there is a second period of time between the end of the symbol and the end of the one or more repetitions during which the sensing node makes no transmission. (Li – [Fig. 3a-b], [0093], [0176]) Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Rafique, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: cyclic prefix (CP)-OFDM (Rafique – [0126] Due to the presence of orthogonal subcarriers, OFDM delivers high multiplexing capabilities in time and frequency through OFDM resource elements. The cyclic prefix converts the linear convolution of the transmit signal with the propagation channel impulse response to a circular convolution hence enabling simple frequency domain equalization at the receiver. [0127] A suitable sensing and/or communication performance may not be effectively feasible with a single fixed frame design and transmission mechanism. Each design and mechanism has its own advantages and drawbacks. Therefore, an adaptive and flexible frame design and transmission mechanism selection framework may be advantageous.) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the OFDM of Li with the cyclic prefix of Rafique in order to operate over 4G and 5G networks (Rafique – [0126]). Regarding Claim 10, Li further teaches: wherein the OFDM communication scheme comprises CP-OFDM in which each OFDM symbol is preceded by a period of time allocated for a CP, and (Li – [Fig. 3a-b], [0093], [0176]) wherein the method further comprises: appending a first frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) signal to the beginning of the one or more repetitions such that the first FMCW signal is transmitted during the period of time allocated for a CP immediately preceding the symbol, and (Li – [Fig. 3a-b], [0093], [0176]) appending a second FMCW signal to the end of the one or more repetitions such that the second FMCW signal is transmitted prior to end of the symbol. (Li – [Fig. 3a-b], [0093], [0176]) Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Rafique, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: cyclic prefix (CP)-OFDM (Rafique – [0126], [0127]) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the OFDM of Li with the cyclic prefix of Rafique in order to operate over 4G and 5G networks (Rafique – [0126]). FMCW signal (Rafique – [0127], [0125] A Frequency-Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) waveform or a chirp signal is widely adopted for sensing due to its ease of generation and processing.) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the signal of Li with the FMCW of Rafique in order to ease the generation and processing of sensing (Rafique – [0125]). Regarding Claim 11, Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Rafique, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: wherein: there is substantially no frequency jump between the first FMCW signal and the beginning of the one or more repetitions, and there is substantially no frequency jump between the second FMCW signal and the end of the one or more repetitions. (Rafique – [0125], [0127]) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the signal of Li with the FMCW of Rafique in order to ease the generation and processing of sensing (Rafique – [0125]). Regarding Claim 12, Li further teaches: wherein transmitting the one or more repetitions of the NLFM signal in the symbol comprises transmitting the one or more repetitions using a plurality of subcarriers. (Li – [Fig. 3a-b], [0093], [0176], [0179] Start frequency of a sensing signal/an integrated sensing and communication signal: The parameter defines a lowest frequency position (Lowest Subcarrier) of a sensing signal/an integrated sensing and communication signal, and is also referred to as a frequency reference point.) Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Rafique, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: NLFM signal (Rafique – [0164]) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the Costa Arrays of Li with the NLFM configuration of Rafique in order to improve sidelobe suppression (Rafique – [0100]). Regarding Claim 13, Li further teaches: wherein the sensing node comprises a receive (Rx) sensing node, and (Li – [0052], [0053]) wherein performing the RF sensing function in accordance with the NLFM configuration comprises receiving the NLFM signal. (Li – [0052], [0053], [0129]) Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Rafique, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: NLFM signal/configuration (Rafique – [0164]) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the Costa Arrays of Li with the NLFM configuration of Rafique in order to improve sidelobe suppression (Rafique – [0100]). Regarding Claim 14, Li further teaches: further comprising: detecting, with the sensing node, one or more targets from the received NLFM signal; and (Li – [0052], [0053]) sending a report of the sensing results from the sensing node to the configuring node, the report indicative of the one or more targets. (Li – [0052], [0053], [0554] The terminal 1400 includes, but is not limited to: at least some of the following components: a radio frequency unit 1401, a network module 1402, an audio output unit 1403, an input unit 1404, a sensor 1405, a display unit 1406, a user input unit 1407, an interface unit 1408, a memory 1409, a processor 1410, and the like. [0557] In this embodiment of this application, after receiving downlink data from a network side device, the radio frequency unit 1401 may transmit the data to the processor 1410 for processing. In addition, the radio frequency unit 1401 may send uplink data to the network side device. [0560] The terminal 1400 may be used as a signal sending node to perform the steps of the resource configuration method in the embodiments of this application, and may be used as a signal receiving node to perform the steps of the resource determining method in the embodiments of this application.) Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Rafique, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: NLFM signal (Rafique – [0164]) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the Costa Arrays of Li with the NLFM configuration of Rafique in order to improve sidelobe suppression (Rafique – [0100]). Regarding Claim 15, 27 Li further teaches: wherein performing the RF sensing function in accordance with the NLFM configuration comprises generating a sensing signal for transmission, reception, or both, (Li – [0052], [0053], [0129]) the sensing signal comprising one or more repetitions, wherein each repetition comprises: the NLFM signal, and an FMCW signal appended at the end of the NLFM signal. (Li – [Fig. 3a-b], [0093], [0176]) Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Rafique, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: NLFM configuration (Rafique – [0164]) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the Costa Arrays of Li with the NLFM configuration of Rafique in order to improve sidelobe suppression (Rafique – [0100]). FMCW signal (Rafique – [0127], [0125] A Frequency-Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) waveform or a chirp signal is widely adopted for sensing due to its ease of generation and processing.) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the signal of Li with the FMCW of Rafique in order to ease the generation and processing of sensing (Rafique – [0125]). Regarding Claim 16, Li teaches the following limitations: A method of providing a non-linear frequency-modulated (NLFM) configuration for radio frequency (RF) sensing, the method comprising: (Li - [0002], [0129]) determining, with a configuring node of a wireless network, an NLFM configuration for a sensing node, (Li - [0052], [0053], [0129]) wherein the NLFM configuration is indicative of a set of one or more parameters of a non-linear function describing time-varying frequency characteristics of an NLFM signal to be used by the sensing node for RF sensing; and (Li – [Fig. 3a-b], [0055]) sending the NLFM configuration from the configuring node to the sensing node to enable the sensing node to perform an RF sensing function in accordance with the NLFM configuration. (Li - [0052], [0053], [0129]) Regarding Claim 20, Li further teaches: wherein the configuring node comprises a base station or a server of the wireless network. (Li - [0052], [0053], [0129], [0201] a sensing application server in a core network) sends the sensing signal configuration information to the signal sending node and the signal receiving node.) Regarding Claim 21, Li further teaches: wherein the sensing node comprises a transmit (Tx) sensing node, a receive (Rx) sensing node, or both. (Li - [0052], [0053], [0129]) Regarding Claim 22, Li teaches the following limitations: A sensing node comprising: one or more transceivers; (Li – [0554], [0560], [0557] Generally, the radio frequency unit 1401 includes, but is not limited to, an antenna, an amplifier, a transceiver, a coupler, a low-noise amplifier, a duplexer, and the like.) one or more memories; and (Li – [0018] According to a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes a processor and a memory. The memory stores a program or instructions runnable on the processor. The program or the instructions, when executed by the processor, implement the steps of the resource configuration method according to the first aspect, or implement the steps of the resource determining method according to the third aspect.) one or more processors communicatively coupled with the one or more transceivers and the one or more memories, (Li – [0018], [0557]) the one or more processors configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, an NLFM configuration at the sensing node from a configuring node of a wireless network, (Li – [0018], [0052], [0053], [0129], [0557]) wherein the NLFM configuration is indicative of a set of one or more parameters of a non-linear function describing time-varying frequency characteristics of an NLFM signal to be used by the sensing node for RF sensing; and (Li – [Fig. 3a-b], [0055]) perform an RF sensing function with the one or more transceivers in accordance with the NLFM configuration. (Li – [0052], [0053], [0055]) Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Rafique, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: NLFM configuration (Rafique – [0164]) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the Costa Arrays of Li with the NLFM configuration of Rafique in order to improve sidelobe suppression (Rafique – [0100]). Regarding Claim 24, Li further teaches: wherein the one or more processors are configured to perform the RF sensing function is based at least in part on a trigger message received from a base station, (Li – [0018], [0052], [0053], [0129], [0247]) the trigger message identifying the set of parameters from a plurality of parameter sets included in the NLFM configuration. (Li – [0018], [0052], [0053], [0129], [0247]) Regarding Claim 25, Li further teaches: wherein the sensing node comprises a transmit (Tx) sensing node, and (Li – [0052], [0053]) wherein, to perform the RF sensing function in accordance with the NLFM configuration, the one or more processors are configured to transmit the NLFM signal via the one or more transceivers. (Li – [0018], [0052], [0053], [0129], [0557]) Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Rafique, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: NLFM configuration (Rafique – [0164]) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the Costa Arrays of Li with the NLFM configuration of Rafique in order to improve sidelobe suppression (Rafique – [0100]). Regarding Claim 28, Li teaches the following limitations: A configuring node for providing a non-linear frequency-modulated (NLFM) configuration for radio frequency (RF) sensing, the configuring node comprising: (Li – [0052], [0053], [0129]) one or more transceivers; (Li – [0557]) one or more memories; and (Li – [0018]) one or more processors communicatively coupled with the one or more transceivers and the one or more memories, the one or more processors configured to: (Li – [0018], [0557]) determine an NLFM configuration for a sensing node, (Li – [0052], [0053], [0129]) wherein the NLFM configuration is indicative of a set of one or more parameters of a non-linear function describing time-varying frequency characteristics of an NLFM signal to be used by the sensing node for RF sensing; and (Li – [Fig. 3a-b], [0055]) send the NLFM configuration via the one or more transceivers to the sensing node to enable the sensing node to perform an RF sensing function in accordance with the NLFM configuration. (Li – [0052], [0053], [0129], [0557]) Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Rafique, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: NLFM configuration (Rafique – [0164]) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the Costa Arrays of Li with the NLFM configuration of Rafique in order to improve sidelobe suppression (Rafique – [0100]). Regarding Claim 30, Li further teaches: wherein the configuring node comprises a base station or a server of the wireless network. (Li – [0052], [0053], [0129], [0201]) Claims 2-4, 17-19, 23, 29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li (US 20250286671) in view of Rafique (US 20250251508), as applied to Claims 1, 16, 22, 28 above, and further in view of Cho (US 20170160381). Regarding Claims 2, 17, Li further teaches: wherein the set of parameters includes: an order of Legendre Polynomials (LPs) of the non-linear function, and a coefficient of the LPs. (Li – [Fig. 3a-b], [0055] Li does not explicitly teach “Legendre Polynomials”.) Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Cho, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: Legendre Polynomials (Cho – [0085] The Legendre polynomial is widely used to decompose a signal for its orthogonal property between different order terms on the interval −1≦x≦1. It can be generated recursively as the following. Using this approach, an amplitude error ΔA(k) may be normalized by the expression A(x)=1+ΔA(k) and can be modeled using Legendre polynomials of order N as [0092] It is noted that in this example there are no odd-order terms in the weights expression. For 4-norm IQM (i.e., M.sub.4 described by equation #2), the weight function modeled by the even-order (i.e., 4.sup.th order) Legendre polynomials of order four is generally considered appropriate.) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the ambiguity function of Li with the Legendre Polynomials of Cho in order to calibrate an amplitude error (Cho – [0085]). Regarding Claims 3, 18, Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Cho, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: wherein a degree of the LPs is even, and the NLFM signal begins and ends on substantially the same frequency. (Cho – [0085], [0092]) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the ambiguity function of Li with the Legendre Polynomials of Cho in order to calibrate an amplitude error (Cho – [0085]). Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Rafique, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: NLFM signal (Rafique – [0164]) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the Costa Arrays of Li with the NLFM configuration of Rafique in order to improve sidelobe suppression (Rafique – [0100]). Regarding Claim 4, Li further teaches: further comprising sending NLFM capability information from the sensing node to the configuring node prior to receiving the NLFM configuration, (Li – [0110], [0111], [0129]) wherein the NLFM capability information is indicative of: (Li – [0110], [0111], [0129]) Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Rafique, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: NLFM capability information (Rafique – [0164], [0139] A transmitting device 900 and a receiving device 901 may be configured to perform any of the above-described steps for feedback individually or in combination. The transmitting device 900 and the receiving device 901 may be further configured to select a suitable method according to a standard, a transmitter configuration, a receiver configuration, transmitter capabilities, receiver capabilities, or the like.) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the Costa Array configuration and mapping of Li with the transmitter and receiver capabilities of Rafique in order to configure a transmitting or receiving device (Rafique – [0139]). Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Cho, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: a maximum order of LPs, a maximum frequency ramping speed, or a combination thereof. (Cho – [0085], [0092]) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the ambiguity function and Costa Array mapping of Li with the Legendre Polynomials of Cho in order to calibrate an amplitude error (Cho – [0085]). Regarding Claim 19, Li further teaches: further comprising receiving NLFM capability information at the configuring node from the sensing node, prior to determining the NLFM configuration, (Li – [0110], [0111], [0129]) wherein the NLFM capability information is indicative of: (Li – [0110], [0111], [0129]) Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Rafique, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: NLFM capability information (Rafique – [0139], [0164]) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the Costa Array configuration and mapping of Li with the transmitter and receiver capabilities of Rafique in order to configure a transmitting or receiving device (Rafique – [0139]). Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Cho, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: a maximum order of LPs, a maximum frequency ramping speed, or a combination thereof. (Cho – [0085], [0092]) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the ambiguity function and Costa Array mapping of Li with the Legendre Polynomials of Cho in order to calibrate an amplitude error (Cho – [0085]). Regarding Claim 23, Li further teaches: wherein the one or more processors configured to send NLFM capability information from the sensing node to the configuring node prior to receiving the NLFM configuration, and (Li – [0018], [0110], [0111], [0129]) wherein the one or more processors configured to include, in the NLFM capability information, information indicative of: (Li – [0110], [0111], [0129]) Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Rafique, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: NLFM capability information (Rafique – [0139], [0164]) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the Costa Array configuration and mapping of Li with the transmitter and receiver capabilities of Rafique in order to configure a transmitting or receiving device (Rafique – [0139]). Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Cho, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: a maximum order of LPs, a maximum frequency ramping speed, or a combination thereof. (Cho – [0085], [0092]) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the ambiguity function and Costa Array mapping of Li with the Legendre Polynomials of Cho in order to calibrate an amplitude error (Cho – [0085]). Regarding Claim 29, Li further teaches: wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive NLFM capability information from the sensing node prior to determining the NLFM configuration, wherein the NLFM capability information is indicative of: (Li – [0110], [0111], [0129]) Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Rafique, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: NLFM capability information (Rafique – [0139], [0164]) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the Costa Array configuration and mapping of Li with the transmitter and receiver capabilities of Rafique in order to configure a transmitting or receiving device (Rafique – [0139]). Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Cho, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: a maximum order of LPs, a maximum frequency ramping speed, or a combination thereof. (Cho – [0085], [0092]) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the ambiguity function and Costa Array mapping of Li with the Legendre Polynomials of Cho in order to calibrate an amplitude error (Cho – [0085]). Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure or directed to the state of art is listed on the enclosed PTO-892. The following is a brief description for relevant prior art that was cited but not applied: Lei (US 20190297489) describes capability information of the UEs to include a configurable slope and initial frequency. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRANDON JAMES HENSON whose telephone number is (703)756-1841. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Robert Hodge can be reached at 571-272-2097. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /BRANDON JAMES HENSON/Examiner, Art Unit 3645 /ROBERT W HODGE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3654
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Prosecution Timeline

Feb 27, 2024
Application Filed
Jan 15, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Feb 09, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §103 (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
69%
Grant Probability
96%
With Interview (+27.2%)
3y 3m
Median Time to Grant
Low
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