DETAILED ACTION
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 4/16/2026 has been entered.
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) 1-2, 5, 7-11, 13-15, 17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shreevastav et al. (hereinafter Shreevastav)(US 2020/0120578) in view of Wakabayashi et al. (hereinafter Wakabayashi)(US 2021/0212124) and Fischer et al. (hereinafter Fischer)(US 2024/0361421).
Regarding claim 1, Shreevastav teaches a method performed by a terminal, the method comprising:
receiving a system information block (SIB), wherein the SIB comprises a set of scheduling parameters and a second set of scheduling parameters(items 403-404 in Fig. 4; also P[0098-0110]);
receiving a first System Information (SI), wherein the first SI comprises a first positioning SIB, wherein the first SIB comprises a first type Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) data(item 405 in Fig.4; also P[0111]); and
wherein the set of scheduling parameters comprises: a parameter for SI window length(P[0262], SI window length); and one or more pieces of scheduling information,
Shreevastav did not teach specifically transmitting an uplink message to request assistance data, wherein the uplink message comprise an identifier associated with the first type PRS data and wherein the first positioning SI is received based on: the parameter for SI window length in the set of scheduling parameters; the one or more pieces of scheduling information in the set of scheduling parameters. However Wakabayashi teaches in an analogous art transmitting an uplink message to request assistance data, wherein the uplink message comprise an identifier associated with the first type PRS data(P[0183]; P[0264], UE requests on-demand system information comprising positioning assistance information) and wherein the first positioning SI is received based on: the parameter for SI window length in the set of scheduling parameters; the one or more pieces of scheduling information in the set of scheduling parameters(P[0172], system information is transmitted; based on the SI the UE is able to determine an identifier; monitors SI window of the on-demand SIB; also P[0183]). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use the method of transmitting an uplink message to request assistance data, wherein the uplink message comprise an identifier associated with the first type PRS data and wherein the first positioning SI is received based on: the parameter for SI window length in the set of scheduling parameters; the one or more pieces of scheduling information in the set of scheduling parameters; in order to have improved efficiency.
Shreevastav in view of Wakabayashi did not teach specifically identifier identifying associated with the first type PRS data. However, Fischer teaches in an analogous art identifier identifying associated with the first type PRS data(P[0137], request assistance data message can include the PRS configuration identifier). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use the method wherein the uplink message comprises Identifier identifying the first type PRS data in order to have improved signalling efficiency.
Regarding claim 2, Shreevastav teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the first positioning SI further comprises a second positioning SIB(P[0262], new positioning SIB).
Regarding claim 5, Wakabayashi teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the second type PRS data comprises: the set of PRS parameters
Regarding claim 7, Wakabayashi teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the set of PRS parameters in the first type PRS data indicates configuration of PRS that is transmitted based on request(P[0032], support on-demand system information).
Regarding claim 8, Wakabayashi teaches the method of claim 5, wherein the set of PRS parameters in the second type PRS data indicates configuration of PRS that is valid in a validity area(P[0223], validity area over which the assistance information is valid).
Regarding claim 9, Wakabayashi teaches the method of claim 8, wherein the validity area is determined based on a set of validity parameters in the second type PRS data(P[0224], validity area of assistance information; P[0223], validity area over which the assistance information is valid).
Regarding claim 10, Wakabayashi teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the uplink message further comprises a piece of information indicating type of the requested assistance data(P[0152], type of assistance information). .
Regarding claim 11, Shreevastav teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the uplink message further comprises a second type cell identifier of primary cell(P[0292], identifier of the first cell and identifier of the second cell).
Regarding claim 13, Wakabashi teaches the method of claim 1, the method further comprising: transmitting a first control message for capability reporting; and transmitting a second control message for capability reporting(P[0032], capability signaling; idle mode and in-active mode on-demand request capability).
Regarding claim 14, Wakabashi teaches the 14. The method of claim 13, wherein: the first control message comprises a first capability parameter for PRS; and the second control message comprises a second capability parameter for PRS(P[0032], capability signaling; idle mode and in-active mode on-demand request capability).
Regarding claim 15, Shreevastav teaches the method of claim 13, wherein: the first control message is transmitted to a base station; and the second control message is transmitted to a Location Management Function (LMF)(shreevastav: Title-location server).
Regarding claim 17, Wakabayashi teaches the method of claim 14, wherein the second capability parameter indicates support of PRS measurement in RRC_INACTIVE state(P[0033], in-active mode positioning measurement).
Regarding claim 18, Wakabayashi teaches the method of claim 13, wherein the second control message further comprises a third capability parameter(P[0132], UE capability information).
Regarding claim 19, Wakabayashi teaches the method of claim 18, wherein the third capability parameter is related to measurement result report(P[0108], measurement results reporting).
Claim 20 is rejected for the same reason as set forth in claim 1.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shreevastav et al. (hereinafter Shreevastav)(US 2020/0120578) in view of Wakabayashi et al. (hereinafter Wakabayashi)(US 2021/0212124), Fischer et al. (hereinafter Fischer)(US 2024/0361421)and Gunnarson et al. (hereinafter Gunnarson)(US 2022/0182920).
Regarding claim 3, Shreevastav in view of Wakabayashi and Fischer teaches all the particulars of the claim except the method, wherein the second positioning SIB comprises a third type PRS data. However, Gunnarson teaches in an analogous art wherein the second positioning SIB comprises a third type PRS data. Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use the method, wherein the second positioning SIB comprises a third type PRS data in order to have improved efficiency.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shreevastav et al. (hereinafter Shreevastav)(US 2020/0120578) in view of Wakabayashi et al. (hereinafter Wakabayashi)(US 2021/0212124) and Gunnarson et al. (hereinafter Gunnarson)(US 2022/0182920) and Li et al.(hereinafter Li) (USD 2020/0022121).
Regarding claim 4, Gunnarson teaches the method of claim 3, wherein the third type PRS data comprises: one or more parameters related to starting slot. The combination of Shreevastav, Wakabayashi, FIscher and Gunnarson did not teach specifically one or more parameters related to code sequence; and one or more parameters related to Quasi-Collocation information. However, Li teaches in an analogous art one or more parameters related to starting slot(P[0147], code sequence and QCL). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use the method, wherein the data comprises one or more parameters related to code sequence; and one or more parameters related to Quasi-Collocation information in order to have improved transmission.
Claim(s) 6, 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shreevastav et al. (hereinafter Shreevastav)(US 2020/0120578) in view of Wakabayashi et al. (hereinafter Wakabayashi)(US 2021/0212124), Fischer et al. (hereinafter Fischer)(US 2024/0361421) and Godin et al. (hereinafter Godin)(US 2020/0314737).
Regarding claim 6, Shreevastav in view of Wakabayashi and Fischer teaches all the particulars of the claim except the method, wherein the set of validity parameters comprises n instances of base station identifiers and n instances of first type cell identifiers. However, Godin teaches in an analogous art wherein the set of validity parameters comprises n instances of base station identifiers and n instances of first type cell identifiers(abstract; P[0062], plurality of area identifiers; base station identifier). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use the method, wherein the set of validity parameters comprises n instances of base station identifiers and n instances of first type cell identifiers in order to have improved efficiency.
Regarding claim 12, Shreevastav in view of Wakabayashi teaches all the particulars of the claim except the method, wherein length of the second type cell identifier is smaller than length of a first type cell identifier. However, Godin teaches in an analogous art wherein length of the second type cell identifier is smaller than length of a first type cell identifier(P[0054], GCI, BS ID; NCI with fixed length). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use the method, wherein length of the second type cell identifier is smaller than length of a first type cell identifier in order to have efficient handling of system information request.
Claim(s) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shreevastav et al. (hereinafter Shreevastav)(US 2020/0120578) in view of Wakabayashi et al. (hereinafter Wakabayashi)(US 2021/0212124), Fischer et al. (hereinafter Fischer)(US 2024/0361421) and Gunnarson et al. (hereinafter Gunnarson)(US 2022/0182920).
Regarding claim 16, Shreevastav in view of Wakabayashi and Fischer teaches all the particulars of the claim except the method, wherein the first capability parameter indicates one or more measurement gap patterns for PRS measurement supported by the terminal. However, Gunnarson teaches in an analogous art wherein the first capability parameter indicates one or more measurement gap patterns for PRS measurement supported by the terminal(P[0247], scheduling offset). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use the merthod, wherein the first capability parameter indicates one or more measurement gap patterns for PRS measurement supported by the terminal in order to have battery saving.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 4/16/2026 have been fully considered but they are moot in view of new grounds of rejection.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MUTHUSWAMY GANAPATHY MANOHARAN whose telephone number is (571)272-5515. The examiner can normally be reached 6:30am-3:00pm.
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/MUTHUSWAMY G MANOHARAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2647
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