DETAILED ACTION
This is in response to applicant's communication filed on 03/22/2024, wherein:
Claim 1-20 are pending.
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.
Claim 1, 10, 14, and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Duan et al. (US 20220252709 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Duan discloses a sensing positioning method (Fig. 9), comprising:
receiving, by a first communication device, a sensing requirement (Fig. 9 step 905 and ¶0086 – “a position request obtained at the location server 160, as indicated at block 905. As indicated previously, UE-assisted (or network-based) positioning can be based on a request from an external client (e.g., external client 180 of FIG. 1 and/or external client 230 of FIG. 2). Additionally or alternatively, the request may come from a service within the wireless network that may need the position of the target 410 to provide particular functionality”); and
sending, by the first communication device in a case that the sensing requirement is a sensing requirement associated with a positioning service, the sensing requirement to a second communication device (Fig. 9 step 935, ¶0080, and ¶0088), and sending a positioning requirement to a third communication device (Fig. 9 step 910-915-920 and ¶0087-0088 disclose sending position request to UE 105).
Regarding claim 10, Duan discloses a sensing positioning method, comprising:
obtaining, by a third communication device (UE 105), a positioning requirement (Fig. 9 step 910), wherein the positioning requirement is sent by a first communication device (Fig. 9 – location server 160) in a case that a sensing requirement received by the first communication device is a sensing requirement associated with a positioning service (Fig. 4, Fig. 9 and ¶0086 disclose location request required performing positioning for UE 105 and measuring TOA for target sensing);
obtaining first information according to the positioning requirement, wherein the first information comprises at least one of signal configuration information or a measurement quantity, the signal configuration information is signal configuration information used for sensing measurement and/or positioning measurement, and the measurement quantity is a measurement quantity used for sensing measurement and/or positioning measurement (Fig. 9 step 935, ¶0080, ¶0088 discloses providing schedule for PRS resource – i.e. the signal configuration is obtained at the LMF for providing to UE and base station); and
sending the first information to at least one of a second communication device or a fourth communication device, wherein the second communication device comprises a terminal and/or a base station associated with the sensing requirement, and the fourth communication device comprises a terminal and/or a base station associated with the positioning requirement (Fig. 9 step 935-945, ¶0080-0082, and ¶0088 disclose transmitting PRS resources to base station 120 and 105).
Regarding claim 14, Duan discloses the method according to claim 10, further comprising: determining a positioning result according to the positioning requirement, wherein the positioning result comprises terminal location information; and sending the positioning result to the first communication device (Fig. 9 step 915 and ¶0088- “The determination of the UE position at block 915 is made by the location server, in which case a positioning session 920 may be conducted to determine the location of the UE 105 using network-based positioning. Alternatively, if the UE 105 knows or can obtain its position separate from the network (e.g., using GNSS positioning), the UE 105 may provide its position to the location server 160”).
Regarding claim 17, the scope and content of the claim recites a communication device, comprising a processor, a memory, and a program or instructions stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the program or the instructions, when executed by the processor , cause the communication device to perform (Duan - Fig. 9 discloses location server 160 which is known in the art to comprise processor, memory, and program for performing its function) the method of claim 1, therefore, being addressed as in claim 1.
Regarding claim 18, the scope and content of the claim recites a communication device, comprising a processor, a memory, and a program or instructions stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the program or the instructions, when executed by the processor (Duan - Fig. 9 discloses location server 160 and UE 105 which are known in the art to comprise processor, memory, and program for performing its function), implement the steps of the sensing positioning method according to claim 10, therefore, being addressed as in claim 10.
Regarding claim 19, the scope and content of the claim recites a non-transitory readable storage medium, storing a program or instructions, wherein the program or the instructions, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the sensing positioning method according to claim 1, therefore, being address as in claim 1.
Regarding claim 20, the scope and content of the claim recites a non-transitory readable storage medium, storing a program or instructions, wherein the program or the instructions, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the sensing positioning method according to claim 10, therefore, being addressed as in claim 10.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 2-9, 11-13, and 15-16 are 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.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DUNG HONG whose telephone number is (571)270-7928. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:00 am to 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, JINSONG HU, can be reached on (571) 272-3965. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DUNG HONG/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2643