DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-6, 8, 10-15 and 30-34 are presented for examination.
Claims 1, 8, 30, and 33 are amended.
Claims 7, 9, and 16-29 are canceled.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 09/01/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1-6, 8, 10-15 and 30-34 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hoang et al., (hereinafter Hoang), U.S. Publication No. 2024/0188153, in view of Yoshioka et al., (hereinafter Yoshioka), U.S. Publication No. 2025/0203632.
As per claim 1, Hoang discloses a method for wireless communication [fig. 1A, 1C, 4, paragraphs 0017, 0021, 0067, 0092, a method for wireless communication (a device operating on wireless networks; a method 400 configured for a WTRU)], comprising:
determining, with a first communication device, a priority for a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) [paragraphs 0100, 0120, 0160, 0162, 0163, 0170, determining a priority for a sidelink positioning reference signal (the WTRU may determine the QoS of a SL-PRS transmission/resource and the priority level of the SL-PRS)], the first communication device being a user equipment (UE) [fig. 5, paragraphs 0018, 0100, 0120, 0125, 0160, 0162, 0163, 0170, the first communication device being a user equipment (the WTRUs may be interchangeably referred to as a UE)];
sending, with the first communication device, the SL-PRS to a second communication device based on the determined priority [paragraphs 0120, 0160, 0165, 0167, 0170, sending, with the first communication device, the SL-PRS to a second communication device based on the determined priority (the WTRU may request other WTRU to transmit/receive SL-PRS, and triggers SL-PRS transmission if the priority of the positioning measurement report satisfies a condition)]; and
Hoang does not explicitly discloses transmitting, with the first communication device, a phase-tracking reference signal (PT-RS) in symbols not overlapping the SL-PRS; and performing, with the first communication device, rate matching between the SL-PRS and at least one of demodulation reference signal (DM-RS), a physical sidelink Control channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSCCH), or a Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH).
However, Yoshioka teaches transmitting, with the first communication device, a phase-tracking reference signal (PT-RS) in symbols not overlapping the SL-PRS [paragraphs 0229, 0231, transmitting, with the first communication device, a phase-tracking reference signal (PT-RS) in symbols not overlapping the SL-PRS (SL-PRS may be assumed not to overlap with the PT-RS)]; and performing, with the first communication device, rate matching between the SL-PRS and at least one of demodulation reference signal (DM-RS), a physical sidelink Control channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSCCH), or a Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH) [paragraphs 0084, 0229, 0231, 0252, performing, with the first communication device, rate matching between the SL-PRS and at least one of a physical sidelink Control channel (PSSCH) (SL-PRS may be multiplexed with PSSCH by using rate-matching; terminal 20B receives the SCI (PSCCH and/or PSSCH) and the SL data (PSSCH) transmitted from the terminal)].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to improve upon the method described in Hoang by transmitting a phase-tracking reference signal (PT-RS) in symbols not overlapping the SL-PRS as taught by Yoshioka because it would provide the Hoang's method with the enhanced capability of improving efficient use of resources [Yoshioka, paragraphs 0239, 0283].
As per claim 2, Hoang discloses the method of claim 1,
wherein the determining a priority for the sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) is based on at least one of a configuration, a default, a scenario, or an indication [paragraphs 0084, 0163, 0165, 0170, wherein the determining a priority for the sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) is based on at least one of a configuration, a default, a scenario, or an indication (QoS parameters (e.g., priority, reliability) of the SL-PRS resource/transmission may be (pre-)configured)].
As per claim 3, Hoang discloses the method of claim 1,
wherein the determining establishes that the SL-PRS has a highest priority, for which the communicating prioritizes the SL-PRS before communicating the other signal(s) or channel(s) [paragraphs 0162, 0165, 0170, 0193, wherein the determining establishes that the SL-PRS has a highest priority, for which the communicating prioritizes the SL-PRS before communicating the other signal(s) or channel(s) (the WTRU may prioritize UL transmission or SL-PRS transmission based on the priority of each transmission; the priority associated with the SL-PRS resource is fixed to be the highest priority (e.g., priority 1) or lowest priority (e.g., priority 8))].
As per claim 4, Hoang discloses the method of claim 1,
wherein the determining establishes that the SL-PRS has a lowest priority, for which the communicating prioritizes any other signal(s) or channel(s) before the SL-PRS [paragraphs 0162, 0165, 0170, 0193, wherein the determining establishes that the SL-PRS has a lowest priority, for which the communicating prioritizes any other signal(s) or channel(s) before the SL-PRS (the WTRU may prioritize UL transmission or SL-PRS transmission based on the priority of each transmission; the priority associated with the SL-PRS resource is fixed to be the highest priority (e.g., priority 1) or lowest priority (e.g., priority 8); the WTRU may prioritize UL transmission or SL-PRS transmission based on the priority of each transmission … WTRU may drop the transmission with lower priority)].
As per claim 5, Hoang discloses the method of claim 1,
wherein the determining a priority for the SL-PRS is based on control signaling, which includes at least one of Radio Resource Control (RRC), Medium Access Control Element (MAC CE), or Sidelink Control Information (SCI) [paragraphs 0076, 0098, 0131, 0166, 0184, wherein the determining a priority for the SL-PRS is based on control signaling, which includes at least one of Radio Resource Control (RRC), Medium Access Control Element (MAC CE), or Sidelink Control Information (SCI) (QoS parameters of the SL-PRS resource/transmission: SCI; MAC CE; RRC; and NAS message)].
As per claim 6, Hoang discloses the method of claim 1,
wherein the determined priority comprises a integer number value between 1 and 8, wherein 1 is highest priority, 8 is the lowest priority [paragraphs 0162, 0165, 0170, 0193, wherein the determined priority comprises a integer number value between 1 and 8, wherein 1 is highest priority, 8 is the lowest priority (the WTRU may prioritize UL transmission or SL-PRS transmission based on the priority of each transmission; the priority associated with the SL-PRS resource is fixed to be the highest priority (e.g., priority 1) or lowest priority (e.g., priority 8))].
As per claim 8, Hoang discloses the method of claim 7,
wherein the second communication device comprises a UE or a network node [fig. 1A, paragraphs 0018, 0019, 0021, 0059, 0060, wherein the second communication device comprises a UE or a network node (base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communication link; WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and 102d may be interchangeably referred to as a UE; the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and/or network elements)].
As per claim 10, Hoang discloses the method of claim 1,
wherein a priority for the SL-PRS is configured by at least one of a high layer parameter, a parameter in Radio Resource Control (RRC), a parameter in sidelink control information (SCI), a parameter in downlink control information (DCI), a parameter in Medium Access Control Elements (MAC CE), a Non Access Stratum (NAS) layer parameter, or a parameter in system information blocks x (SIBx), where x is an integer [paragraphs 0074, 0094, 0166, wherein a priority for the SL-PRS is configured by at least one of a high layer parameter, a parameter in Radio Resource Control (RRC) (WTRU may obtain the sidelink positioning configuration information by one or more of (pre-)configuration, by the network via SIB or RRC message)].
As per claim 11, Hoang discloses the method of claim 1,
wherein the SL-PRS is used for calculating a location [paragraphs 0080, 0085, 0134, wherein the SL-PRS is used for calculating a location (position can be calculated based on SL-PRS measurement)].
As per claim 12, Hoang discloses the method of claim 1,
wherein the determined priority for the SL-PRS comprises at least one of the priority for the SL-PRS is higher than a first set of other signal(s) or channel(s), or the priority for the SL-PRS lower than a second set of the other signal(s) or channel(s) [paragraphs 0120, 0162, 0165, 0169, 0170, wherein the determined priority for the SL-PRS comprises at least one of the priority for the SL-PRS is higher than a first set of other signal(s) or channel(s), or the priority for the SL-PRS lower than a second set of the other signal(s) or channel(s) (the WTRU may prioritize UL transmission or SL-PRS transmission based on the priority of each transmission)].
As per claim 13, Hoang discloses the method of claim 1,
wherein the communicating deprioritizes the SL-PRS and communicates the SL-PRS after the second set of the other signal(s) or channel(s) [fig. 5, paragraphs 0101, 0111, 0112, 0128, 0161, wherein the communicating deprioritizes the SL-PRS and communicates the SL-PRS after the second set of the other signal(s) or channel(s) (a plurality of DL-PRS are deprioritized during a reporting period 264)].
As per claim 14, Hoang discloses the method of claim 1,
wherein the communicating prioritizes the SL-PRS and communicates the SL-PRS before communicating the first set of the other signal(s), or channel(s) [paragraphs 0162, 0165, 0170, 0193, wherein the communicating prioritizes the SL-PRS and communicates the SL-PRS before communicating the first set of the other signal(s), or channel(s) (the WTRU may prioritize UL transmission or SL-PRS transmission based on the priority of each transmission; the priority associated with the SL-PRS resource is fixed to be the highest priority (e.g., priority 1) or lowest priority (e.g., priority 8))].
As per claim 15, Hoang discloses the method of claim 12,
wherein the first set of other signal(s) or channel(s) has no intersection with the second set of other signal(s) or channel(s) [paragraphs 0040, 0170, wherein the first set of other signal(s) or channel(s) has no intersection with the second set of other signal(s) or channel(s) (the WTRU cannot perform UL transmission and SL-PRS reception simultaneously)].
As per claim 30, Hoang discloses a wireless communication device [fig. 1A, 1C, 4, paragraphs 0017, 0021, 0067, 0092, a wireless communication device (a device operating on wireless networks)], comprising: at least one processor [fig. 1B, paragraphs 0031, 0032, 0036, at least one processor (the WTRU 102 may include a processor 118)] configured to:
determine a priority for a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) [paragraphs 0100, 0120, 0160, 0162, 0163, 0170, determine a priority for a sidelink positioning reference signal (the WTRU may determine the QoS of a SL-PRS transmission/resource and the priority level of the SL-PRS)];
send the SL-PRS to a second communication device based on the determined priority [paragraphs 0120, 0160, 0165, 0167, 0170, sending, with the first communication device, the SL-PRS to a second communication device based on the determined priority (the WTRU may request other WTRU to transmit/receive SL-PRS, and triggers SL-PRS transmission if the priority of the positioning measurement report satisfies a condition)]; and
Hoang does not explicitly discloses transmit a phase-tracking reference signal (PT-RS) in symbols not overlapping the SL-PRS; and perform rate matching between the SL-PRS and at least one of demodulation reference signal (DM-RS), a physical sidelink Control channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSCCH), or a Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH).
However, Yoshioka teaches transmit a phase-tracking reference signal (PT-RS) in symbols not overlapping the SL-PRS [paragraphs 0229, 0231, transmit a phase-tracking reference signal (PT-RS) in symbols not overlapping the SL-PRS (SL-PRS may be assumed not to overlap with the PT-RS)]; and perform rate matching between the SL-PRS and at least one of demodulation reference signal (DM-RS), a physical sidelink Control channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSCCH), or a Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH) [paragraphs 0084, 0229, 0231, 0252, perform rate matching between the SL-PRS and at least one of a physical sidelink Control channel (PSSCH) (SL-PRS may be multiplexed with PSSCH by using rate-matching; terminal 20B receives the SCI (PSCCH and/or PSSCH) and the SL data (PSSCH) transmitted from the terminal)].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to improve upon the device described in Hoang by transmitting a phase-tracking reference signal (PT-RS) in symbols not overlapping the SL-PRS as taught by Yoshioka because it would provide the Hoang's device with the enhanced capability of improving efficient use of resources [Yoshioka, paragraphs 0239, 0283].
As per claim 31, Hoang discloses the device of claim 30,
wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the priority for the SL-PRS based on control signaling, which includes at least one of Radio Resource Control (RRC), Medium Access Control Element (MAC CE), or Sidelink Control Information (SCI) [paragraphs 0098, 0131, 0166, 0184, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the priority for the SL-PRS based on control signaling, which includes at least one of Radio Resource Control (RRC), Medium Access Control Element (MAC CE), or Sidelink Control Information (SCI) (QoS parameters of the SL-PRS resource/transmission: SCI; MAC CE; RRC; and NAS message)].
As per claim 32, Hoang discloses the device of claim 30,
wherein the determined priority comprises a integer number value between 1 and 8, wherein 1 is highest priority, 8 is the lowest priority [paragraphs 0162, 0165, 0170, 0193, wherein the determined priority comprises a integer number value between 1 and 8, wherein 1 is highest priority, 8 is the lowest priority (the WTRU may prioritize UL transmission or SL-PRS transmission based on the priority of each transmission; the priority associated with the SL-PRS resource is fixed to be the highest priority (e.g., priority 1) or lowest priority (e.g., priority 8))].
As per claim 33, Hoang discloses the device of claim 30,
wherein the second communication device comprises a user equipment (UE) or a network node [fig. 1A, paragraphs 0018, 0019, 0021, 0059, 0060, wherein the second communication device comprises a UE or a network node (base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communication link; WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and 102d may be interchangeably referred to as a UE; the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and/or network elements)].
As per claim 34, Hoang discloses the device of claim 30,
wherein the at least one processor is configured to send the SL-PRS based on the determined priority [paragraphs 0100, 0120, 0160, 0162, 0163, 0170, wherein the at least one processor is configured to send the SL-PRS based on the determined priority (WTRU may use QoS parameters of SL-PRS resource/transmission to perform prioritization between UL and SL)].
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Wang et al., U.S. Publication No. 2024/0155541 discloses wherein the PSFCH performs rate matching on the SL positioning reference signal.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JACKIE ZUNIGA ABAD whose telephone number is (571)270-7194. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:00pm.
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/JACKIE ZUNIGA ABAD/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2469
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