DETAILED ACTION
Status of Claims
Claims 31-32 are new.
Claims 2, 17 are cancelled.
Claims 1, 3, 16, 17, 22-24, 26, 28 are amended.
Claims 1, 3-16, 18-32 are pending.
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 08/27/2026 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claim 32 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claim 32 recites the limitation “the order and the coefficient of the LPs are determined based on the identifier of the sensing node”. No support for this limitation can be found or implied by the instant specification. This limitation involves a determination using an identifier that does not seem to be disclosed.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 32 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 32 recites “the order and the coefficient of the LPs are determined based on the identifier of the sensing node”. It is unclear how an order and a coefficient of LPs can be determined based on an identifier of a sensing node. The examiner has interpreted the limitation as “determine an order and a coefficient of the LPs and determine an identifier of the sensing node”.
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, 3-16, 18-32 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li (US 20250286671) in view of Rafique (US 20250251508), and in view of Cho (US 20170160381).
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. An area or a physical target may be sensed by sending and receiving a sensing signal sensing node. The sensing signal may be… CSI-RS [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 (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.)
the 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])
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]).
Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Cho, in the same field of endeavor, teaches:
comprising a Legendre Polynomial function, the set of one or more parameters comprising an order of Legendre Polynomials (LPs) of the non-linear function and a coefficient of the LPs, (Cho – [Abstract] calibrating the amplitude of a stepped-chirp signal utilized by a synthetic aperture radar (“SAR”) is disclosed. [0017] In SAR systems the most commonly utilized waveform signals are linear frequency modulation (“LFM”) signals. LFM signals are commonly referred to as “chirp modulation signals.” They employ sinusoidal waveforms whose instantaneous frequency increases or decreases linearly over time. [0080] The methods performed by the RCP 202 are parametric approaches that set the error models utilizing Legendre polynomials and then determine the coefficients of the polynomial models that lead to best image quality. [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 – [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”.)
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 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])
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 Claim 7, 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 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] Li teaches “Costa Array” and does not explicitly teach non-linear frequency-modulated (NLFM) configuration for radio frequency (RF) sensing.)
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 (Li – [Fig. 3a-b], [0055])
the 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])
Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Rafique, in the same field of endeavor, teaches:
non-linear frequency-modulated (NLFM) configuration for radio frequency (RF) sensing (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]).
Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Cho, in the same field of endeavor, teaches:
comprising a Legendre Polynomial function, the set of one or more parameters comprising an order of Legendre Polynomials (LPs) of the non-linear function and a coefficient of the LPs, (Cho – [Abstract], [0017], [0080], [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]).
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 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 (Li – [Fig. 3a-b], [0055])
the 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]).
Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Cho, in the same field of endeavor, teaches:
comprising a Legendre Polynomial function, the set of one or more parameters comprising an order of Legendre Polynomials (LPs) of the non-linear function and a coefficient of the LPs, (Cho – [Abstract], [0017], [0080], [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]).
Regarding Claim 23, Li further teaches:
wherein the one or more processors are 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 are 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 24, Li further teaches:
wherein the one or more processors are configured to perform the RF sensing function 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 (Li – [Fig. 3a-b], [0055])
the 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]).
Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Cho, in the same field of endeavor, teaches:
comprising a Legendre Polynomial function, the set of one or more parameters comprising an order of Legendre Polynomials (LPs) of the non-linear function and a coefficient of the LPs, (Cho – [Abstract], [0017], [0080], [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]).
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]).
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])
Regarding Claim 31, Li further teaches:
wherein the non-linear function represents the NLFM signal (Li - [0052-0054], [0129] Li teaches “Costa Array” and does not explicitly teach NLFM signal.)
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]).
Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Cho, in the same field of endeavor, teaches:
as a linear combination of the LPs, and the time-varying frequency characteristics of the NLFM signal are based on the coefficient of the LPs up to the order of the Legendre Polynomials. (Cho – [Abstract], [0017], [0080], [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]).
Regarding Claim 32, Li further teaches:
wherein the NLFM configuration is associated with an identifier of the sensing node, and (Li - [0052-0054], [0129] Li teaches “Costa Array” and does not explicitly teach NLFM configuration.)
wherein the order and the coefficient of the LPs are determined based on the identifier of the sensing node. (Li - [0052-0054], [0129] Li teaches “Costa Array” and does not explicitly teach order and the coefficient of the LPs.)
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]).
Li does not explicitly teach the following limitations, however Cho, in the same field of endeavor, teaches:
order and the coefficient of the LPs (Cho – [Abstract], [0017], [0080], [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]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Pages 9-11, filed 07/28/2026, with respect to the rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 103 have been fully considered and are not persuasive. Applicant argues, see page 10, “Cho does not use Legendre Polynomials to describe "time-varying frequency characteristics of an NLFM signal," as recited in Feature 1”. The examiner disagrees and points out that frequency itself is a time-varying parameters of a non-linear function when considering an NLFM signal. Li [0054] implicitly teaches this with “autocorrelation function of a nonlinear frequency modulation signal” and Rafique [0164] explicitly teaches this with “one or more non-linear chirps… hyperbolic”. Further, Cho teaches Legendre Polynomials to decompose “stepped-chirp signals” “whose instantaneous frequency increases or decreases linearly over time”. A person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize that Li, Rafique, and Cho each teach “time-varying frequency characteristics”. Rafique explicitly teaches “NLFM signal” and Cho explicitly teaches “Legendre Polynomials”. Cho [Abstract] and [0017] have been included in the Office Action to support this understanding.
Applicant argues, see pages 10-11, “Cho does not disclose communicating LP order or coefficients as parameters in a configuration”. The examiner points out that it is the combination of Li and Cho that teach this limitation. Li is cited for communicating “configuration information” and Cho is cited for utilizing “Legendre Polynomials of the order N” and “utilizing Legendre polynomials and then determine the coefficients of the polynomial models”. Cho [0080] has been included in the Office Action to support this understanding. Further, the limitations do not explicitly require that LP order and coefficients are communicated only that “the NLFM configuration is indicative of a set of one or more parameters of a non-linear function”.
Applicant argues, see page 11, “the stated motivation to combine - "in order to calibrate an amplitude error" (see Office Action, p. 22) - does not bridge these gaps. This motivation would lead one of ordinary skill to use Legendre Polynomials for amplitude calibration, as Cho does, not to use "an order of Legendre Polynomials of the non-linear function and a coefficient of the Legendre Polynomials" as parameters of "a non-linear function comprising a Legendre Polynomial function ... describing time-varying frequency characteristics of an NLFM signal," received in "an NLFM configuration at the sensing node from a configuring node of a wireless network," as recited in the amended independent claims”. The examiner disagrees, the amplitude error calibration utilizes the Legendre Polynomial parameters which are composed of time-varying frequency characteristics as described above.
Applicant’s arguments, see Page 11, filed 07/28/2026, with respect to the rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 103 have been fully considered and are not persuasive. Applicant argues that the dependent claims are allowable due to the dependency on the independent claims. As noted above, the examiner maintains Li, in view of Rafique, and in view of Cho teaches the independent claims and therefore the dependent claims remain rejected.
Applicant's remaining arguments amount to a general allegation that the claims define a patentable invention without specifically pointing out how the language of the claims is understandable and distinguishable from other inventions.
Conclusion
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/BRANDON JAMES HENSON/Examiner, Art Unit 3648
/BERNARR E GREGORY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3648
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