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 .
This is responsive to Application 18/674,517 filed 5/24/2024 in which claims 1-20 are presented for examination.
Claims 7-10 and 18 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.
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.
Claims 1-3, 6, 11-16, 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Walker et al (US 2025/0093487 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Walker teaches a node for wireless communication (Walker: Fig. 11; receiver UE), comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the node to:
receive, from a network entity, a configuration comprising a first set of one or more parameters for reception and measurement of sensing signals and a second set of one or more parameters for transmission or reflection of signals (Walker: Fig. 11 [0140], UE receives sensing configuration parameters from base station/network entity), wherein at least one parameter of the first set of one or more parameters indicates a metric of the sensing signals for measurement (Walker: Fig. 11; [0140], target location/area/volume /metric), wherein at least one parameter of the second set of one or more parameters indicates at least one condition for outputting signals by transmitting or reflecting the output signals (Walker: Fig. 11; [0132], [0141], criteria/threshold /condition for sensing measurements) ;
receive a first sensing signal according to the received configuration (Walker: Fig. 11; [0132]-[0140], base station transmits sensing signal to the UE reflected by the target);
measure a value of the metric for the received first sensing signal according to the received configuration (Walker: Fig. 11; [0140], UE performs sensing measurements); and
determine at least one parameter associated with a second signal based at least in part on one or more of the measured value of the metric for the received first sensing signal and the at least one condition for outputting the second signal according to the received configuration (Walker: Fig. 11; [0132], [0141], UE performs sensing measurement results/second signal based on criteria/condition).
Regarding claim 14, Walker teaches a processor for wireless communication (Walker: Fig. 11; receiver UE), comprising: at least one controller coupled with at least one memory and configured to cause the processor to:
receive, from a network entity, a configuration comprising a first set of one or more parameters for reception and measurement of sensing signals and a second set of one or more parameters for transmission or reflection of signals (Walker: Fig. 11 [0140], UE receives sensing configuration parameters from base station/network entity), wherein at least one parameter of the first set of one or more parameters indicates a metric of the sensing signals for measurement (Walker: Fig. 11; [0140], target location/area/volume /metric), wherein at least one parameter of the second set of one or more parameters indicates at least one condition for outputting signals by transmitting or reflecting the output signals (Walker: Fig. 11; [0132], [0141], criteria/threshold /condition for sensing measurements) ;
receive a first sensing signal according to the received configuration (Walker: Fig. 11; [0132]-[0140], base station transmits sensing signal to the UE reflected by the target);
measure a value of the metric for the received first sensing signal according to the received configuration (Walker: Fig. 11; [0140], UE performs sensing measurements); and
determine at least one parameter associated with a second signal based at least in part on one or more of the measured value of the metric for the received first sensing signal and the at least one condition for outputting the second signal according to the received configuration (Walker: Fig. 11; [0132], [0141], UE performs sensing measurement results /second signal based on criteria/condition).
Regarding claim 20, Walker teaches a method performed by a node (Walker: Fig. 11; receiver UE), for wireless communication, the method comprising:
receiving, from a network entity, a configuration comprising a first set of one or more parameters for reception and measurement of sensing signals and a second set of one or more parameters for transmission or reflection of signals (Walker: Fig. 11 [0140], UE receives sensing configuration parameters from base station/network entity), wherein at least one parameter of the first set of one or more parameters indicates a metric of the sensing signals for measurement (Walker: Fig. 11; [0140], target location/area/volume /metric), wherein at least one parameter of the second set of one or more parameters indicates at least one condition for outputting signals by transmitting or reflecting the output signals (Walker: Fig. 11; [0132], [0141], criteria/threshold /condition for sensing measurements) ;
receiving a first sensing signal according to the received configuration (Walker: Fig. 11; [0132]-[0140], base station transmits sensing signal to the UE reflected by the target);
measuring a value of the metric for the received first sensing signal according to the received configuration (Walker: Fig. 11; [0140], UE performs sensing measurements); and
determining at least one parameter associated with a second signal based at least in part on one or more of the measured value of the metric for the received first sensing signal and the at least one condition for outputting the second signal according to the received configuration (Walker: Fig. 11; [0132], [0141], UE performs sensing measurement results /second signal based on criteria/condition).
Regarding claims 2 and 15, Walker teaches wherein determining the at least one parameter associated with the second signal comprises one or more of: selecting parameters for transmitting or reflecting the second signal from a set of parameters (Walker: Fig. 11; [0132], [0141], UE performs sensing measurement results /second signal based on criteria/threshold); selecting parameters for transmitting or reflecting the second signal from a previously indicated configuration; determining an angle or beam at which to transmit or reflect the second signal; determining a ratio between an amount of power of the first sensing signal and the second signal; determining an amount of power for reflection or transmission of the second signal; and determining at least one timing parameter of the second signal.
Regarding claims 3 and 16, Walker teaches wherein determining the at least one parameter associated with the second signal comprises determining an incidence angle of a path at which the first sensing signal is received, and wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cause the node to transmit or reflect the second signal based on the determined incidence angle (Walker: Fig. 11; [0143], receiver determines to transmit results based on angle).
Regarding claim 6, Walker teaches wherein the configuration indicates an objective of minimizing energy to a target or path, and wherein the at least one parameter of the second signal comprises not transmitting the second signal or reflecting incident signals to reduce energy directed to the target or path (Walker: Fig. 11; [0132], [0141], UE performs sensing measurement results /second signal based on criteria/condition; UE may discard the results/not transmitting).
Regarding claims 11 and 19, Walker teaches wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cause the node to transmit capability information of the node to the network entity, the capability information including at least one of: a measurement capability (Walker: Fig. 11; [0117], [0283]), an amount of time to adjust transmission or reflection parameters after measuring or receiving the first signal, and a set of parameters available to the node for transmitting or reflecting the second signal supported by the node.
Regarding claim 12, Walker teaches wherein the configuration is received from the network entity in response to the transmitted capability information (Walker: Fig. 11; [0117], [0283]).
Regarding claim 13, Walker teaches wherein the node for wireless communication comprises at least one of a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS), a relay node, a wireless repeater, and an integrated access backhaul (IAB) node (Walker: [0300]-[0301]).
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 4, 5, 16, 17 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Walker et al (US 2025/0093487 A1) in view of Huang et al (US 2026/0121692 A1).
Regarding claims 4 and 16, Walker does not explicitly disclose wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cause the node to transmit or reflect the second signal at an angle that corresponds to the incidence angle of a path at which the first sensing signal was received.
Huang teaches wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cause the node to transmit or reflect the second signal at an angle that corresponds to the incidence angle of a path at which the first sensing signal was received (Huang: Fig. 10B-11A; [0188], RIS transmitting the received sensing signal based on the incident angle of arrival).
It would have been obvious to a person having an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of th claimed invention to modify the system of Walker wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cause the node to transmit or reflect the second signal at an angle that corresponds to the incidence angle of a path at which the first sensing signal was received as disclosed by Huang to provide a system for RIS sensing (Huang: Abstract).
Regarding claims 5 and 17, Walker in view of Huang teaches wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cause the node to: detect a target or path; and transmit or reflect the second signal towards the target or path (Huang: Fig. 10B; [0180]-[0182], RIS detecting the target 1080 and transmitting reflected signal toward the target).
Conclusion
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/KODZOVI ACOLATSE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2478
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