CTNF 18/676,355 CTNF 98198 Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 07-30-02 AIA 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. 07-34-01 Claims 14 and 15 are 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 14 recites, “The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is further configured to: output a second indication of the estimated relative direction of the second UE compared to the first UE.” Claim 15 recites, “The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising at least one of a transceiver or an antenna coupled to the at least one processor, wherein to output the second indication of the estimated relative direction of the second UE compared to the first UE, the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to: transmit, via at least one of the transceiver or the antenna, the second indication of the estimated relative direction of the second UE compared to the first UE, display the second indication via a screen or a user interface (UI), or store the second indication of the estimated relative direction of the second UE compared to the first UE.” These claims, and the claims as a whole, fail to mention an implied first indication of the estimated relative direction of the second UE compared to the first UE in claiming a second indication thereof. As such, these claims are rendered indefinite. For the sake of examination, Examiner has construed these claims to refer to an indication of the estimated relative direction of the second UE compared to the first UE, in general. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-08-aia AIA (a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. 07-12-aia AIA (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. 07-15 AIA Claim s 1-3, 8-16, and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102( a)(1) and (a)(2 ) as being anticipated by Ertan et al. (US 20190317177 A1), hereinafter Ertan . Regarding claims 1 and 18, Ertan teaches an apparatus for wireless communication at a first user equipment (UE) and method thereof, comprising: at least one memory, and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory (para. 40, “Control circuitry 22 may include storage such as hard disk drive storage, nonvolatile memory [e.g., flash memory or other electrically-programmable-read-only memory configured to form a solid state drive], volatile memory [e.g., static or dynamic random-access-memory], etc. Processing circuitry in control circuitry 22 may be used to control the operation of device 10.”) , the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to: obtain an indication of a phase difference of arrival (PDoA) function related to the first UE, obtain a set of PDoA measurements associated with a second UE when the first UE is associated with a plurality of orientations (para. 7, “An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include one or more antennas. The antennas may be configured to receive IEEE 802.15.4 ultra-wideband communications signals and/or millimeter wave signals. The antennas may also include wireless local area network antennas, satellite navigation system antennas, cellular telephone antennas, and other antennas.”; para. 28, “An electronic device such as electronic device 10 of FIG. 1 may interact with nodes in a system. The term ‘node’ may be used to refer to an electronic device, an object without electronics, and/or a particular location.”; para. 91, “In the first position of FIG. 11, node 78 has azimuth angle θ1 and elevation angle φ1 relative to device 10. While device 10 is in the first position of FIG. 11, antennas 48 [FIG. 10] may receive signals from node 78, and control circuitry 22 may determine a first set of possible angle of arrival solutions based on the measured phase difference between the signals received by antenna 48-1 and the signals received by antenna 48-2.”; para. 95, “An example of this type of arrangement is shown is shown in FIG. 14. In this example, device 10 includes movement generation circuitry 28, which may include one or more actuators such as actuator 60. There may be one, two, three, four, or more than four actuators 60 in any suitable location of device 10 [along the sides, at the corners, etc.]. The arrangement of FIG. 14 is merely illustrative. When it is desired to obtain angle of arrival information (e.g., to determine the position of a node such as node 78 relative to device 10), control circuitry 22 may issue control signals to movement generation circuitry 28 to initiate one or more movements of device 10. The movement may include linear motion along the x-axis, the y-axis, and/or the z-axis, may include rotational motion about the x-axis, the y-axis, and/or the z-axis, or may include a combination of linear and rotational motions.”; Examiner is construing the device 10 as a first UE and node 78 as a second UE, where the control circuity implicitly receives an indication of a PDoA function to perform in processing of received signals) , compute, based on the PDoA function, the set of PDoA measurements, and the plurality of orientations of the first UE, a general function that is associated with a probability in which the second UE is at a set of relative directions compared to the first UE, and estimate, based on the computed general function, a relative direction of the second UE compared to the first UE, wherein the relative direction is included in the set of relative directions (para. 112, “In other scenarios, there may still be some ambiguity in the azimuth angle θ and/or the elevation angle φ. If desired, control circuitry 22 may gather a set of possible directions of arrival [e.g., multiple sets of azimuth and elevation angles] using the three or more antennas 48. Control circuitry 22 may assign a probability value to each possible angle of arrival [e.g., each azimuth and elevation angle pair]. Control circuitry 22 may then select an angle of arrival based on its probability value. If desired, control circuitry 22 may resolve ambiguities in the angle of arrival using motion sensor data as discussed in connection with step 212 of FIG. 16.”; Examiner is construing the generation and assignment of probability values as a computation of a function associated with a probability) . Regarding claim 2, Ertan teaches the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the PDoA function is a function g(θ, φ) that calculates an ideal or hypothetical PDoA value for a signal from a given set of points (θ, φ), where θ is azimuth and φ is elevation (para. 88, “To help resolve ambiguities in the complete angle of arrival, control circuitry 22 may combine antenna signals with motion data gathered using motion sensor circuitry 32. In particular, control circuitry 22 may obtain angle of arrival measurements [e.g., measurements of azimuth angle θ and/or elevation angle φ] while device 10 is in multiple different positions. At each position, antennas 48 may receive signals 58 from node 78 and control circuitry 22 may determine the possible angle of arrival solutions based on the phase difference between signals received by antenna 48-1 and signals received by antenna 48-2.”) . Regarding claim 3, Ertan teaches the apparatus of claim 1, wherein to obtain the indication of the PDoA function, the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to at least one of: obtain the indication of the PDoA function via a calibration process, obtain the indication based on a lookup table (LUT), receive the indication from another device or a network entity, or obtain the indication based on a pre-configuration (para. 88, “At each position, antennas 48 may receive signals 58 from node 78 and control circuitry 22 may determine the possible angle of arrival solutions based on the phase difference between signals received by antenna 48-1 and signals received by antenna 48-2.”; the control circuity implicitly receives an indication of a PDoA function to perform in processing of received signals according to programmed instructions which is a pre-configuration) . Regarding claim 8, Ertan teaches the apparatus of claim 1, wherein to obtain the set of PDoA measurements associated with the second UE when the first UE is associated with the plurality of orientations, the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to: receive, from the second UE, a set of signals at each orientation of the plurality of orientations, and measure a PDoA of the set of signals at each orientation of the plurality of orientations to obtain the set of PDoA measurements associated with the second UE (para. 96, “As shown in FIG. 15, for example, display 14 may display a prompt such as prompt 96 instructing the user to move device 10 in a particular manner [e.g., instructing the user to tilt, rotate, shake, lift, lower, or otherwise move device 10]. The movement may include linear motion along the x-axis, the y-axis, and/or the z-axis, may include rotational motion about the x-axis, the y-axis, and/or the z-axis, or may include a combination of linear and rotational motions. Prompt 96 may change during angle of arrival measurement operations [e.g., may change after a set of signals 58 from node 78 are received by antennas 48 in a given position], or prompt 96 may remain the same throughout the process. Prompt 96 may include words, symbols [e.g., arrows, shapes, graphics, etc.], or other information. The use of display 14 to provide prompt 96 is merely illustrative. If desired, the visual prompt 96 of FIG. 15 may be replaced or augmented by a different type of prompt, such as audio output, haptic output, or other suitable output.”) . Regarding claim 9, Ertan teaches the apparatus of claim 8, wherein to receiving the set of signals, the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to: receive the set of signals via at least two antennas (para. 96, “Prompt 96 may change during angle of arrival measurement operations [e.g., may change after a set of signals 58 from node 78 are received by antennas 48 in a given position], or prompt 96 may remain the same throughout the process.”) . Regarding claim 10, Ertan teaches the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is further configured to: obtain distance information between the first UE and the second UE, and compute, based on the distance information and the relative direction of the second UE, a relative location of the second UE with respect to the first UE (para. 82, “In response to determining that node 78-2 is located at azimuth angle θ, elevation angle φ, and distance D2, relative to device 10, control circuitry 22 may use display 14 to display a visual indication of the location of node 78-2 relative to device 10, may use speakers 34 to generate an audio indication of the location of node 78-2, may use a vibrator, a haptic actuator, or other mechanical element to generate haptic output indicating the location of node 78-2, and/or may take other suitable action.”) . Regarding claims 11 and 19, Ertan teaches the apparatus of claim 1 and the method of claim 18 respectively, wherein the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is further configured to: output a request to rotate the first UE, and track the plurality of orientations of the first UE while the first UE is rotating (para. 96, “As shown in FIG. 15, for example, display 14 may display a prompt such as prompt 96 instructing the user to move device 10 in a particular manner (e.g., instructing the user to tilt, rotate, shake, lift, lower, or otherwise move device 10). The movement may include linear motion along the x-axis, the y-axis, and/or the z-axis, may include rotational motion about the x-axis, the y-axis, and/or the z-axis, or may include a combination of linear and rotational motions.”; para. 103, “At step 208, motion sensor circuitry 32 may gather motion data as device 10 is moved. This may include gathering accelerometer measurements with one or more accelerometers, gyroscope measurements with one or more gyroscopes, compass information from one or more compasses, and/or other motion data from other motion sensors. Motion sensor data may be gathered in the time period between antenna measurements and/or may be gathered at the same time that antenna measurements are being made.”) . Regarding claim 12, Ertan teaches the apparatus of claim 11, wherein to tracking the plurality of orientations of the first UE, the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to: track the plurality of orientations of the first UE using at least one inertial measurement unit (IMU), at least one camera, or a combination thereof (para. 103, “At step 208, motion sensor circuitry 32 may gather motion data as device 10 is moved. This may include gathering accelerometer measurements with one or more accelerometers, gyroscope measurements with one or more gyroscopes, compass information from one or more compasses, and/or other motion data from other motion sensors.”) . Regarding claim 13, Ertan teaches the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the PDoA function related to the first UE is associated with Bluetooth® ranging, Wi-Fi® ranging, or ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging (para. 72, “Device 10 may communicate with nodes 54, 52, and 10′ using communications signals 58. Communications signals 58 may include Bluetooth® signals, near-field communications signals, wireless local area signals such as IEEE 802.11 signals, millimeter wave communication signals such as signals at 60 GHz, ultra-wideband radio frequency signals, other radio-frequency wireless signals, infrared signals, etc. Wireless signals 58 may be used to convey information such as location and orientation information.”; para. 88, “In particular, control circuitry 22 may obtain angle of arrival measurements [e.g., measurements of azimuth angle θ and/or elevation angle φ] while device 10 is in multiple different positions. At each position, antennas 48 may receive signals 58 from node 78 and control circuitry 22 may determine the possible angle of arrival solutions based on the phase difference between signals received by antenna 48-1 and signals received by antenna 48-2.”) . Regarding claim 14, Ertan teaches the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is further configured to: output an indication of the estimated relative direction of the second UE compared to the first UE (para. 111, “Upon determining the angle of arrival of signals from node 78, device 10 may take suitable action. For example, control circuitry 22 may use display 14 to display information regarding the location of node 78 relative to device 10 [e.g., by displaying an icon on a location on display 14 that suggests node 78 is to the right or left of device 10, in front of device 10, or behind device 10].”) . Regarding claim 15, Ertan teaches the apparatus of claim 14, further comprising at least one of a transceiver or an antenna coupled to the at least one processor (para. 40, “Processing circuitry in control circuitry 22 may be used to control the operation of device 10.”; Fig. 2, control circuitry which contains processing circuitry is coupled to cellular telephone transceiver circuitry 42) , wherein to output the indication of the estimated relative direction of the second UE compared to the first UE, the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to: transmit, via at least one of the transceiver or the antenna, the indication of the estimated relative direction of the second UE compared to the first UE, display the indication via a screen or a user interface (UI), or store the indication of the estimated relative direction of the second UE compared to the first UE (para. 82, “In response to determining that node 78-2 is located at azimuth angle θ, elevation angle φ, and distance D2, relative to device 10, control circuitry 22 may use display 14 to display a visual indication of the location of node 78-2 relative to device 10, may use speakers 34 to generate an audio indication of the location of node 78-2, may use a vibrator, a haptic actuator, or other mechanical element to generate haptic output indicating the location of node 78-2, and/or may take other suitable action.”; elements of the indication including preprogrammed assets, control logic, and data are implicitly stored on at least volatile storage) . Regarding claim 16, Ertan teaches the apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a user interface (UI), wherein the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is further configured to: provide, at the UI, at least one of (1) a first guidance for rotating the first UE, (2) a second guidance for rotating the first UE from a current orientation to an orientation within the plurality of orientations, or (3) a third guidance for moving the first UE towards a direction (para. 101, “In arrangements where the user is prompted to move device 10, operations may proceed from step 200 to step 204. Step 204 may include presenting a prompt to the user that instructs the user to move device 10 in a particular fashion. For example, display 14 may present instructions to move device 10 in the desired manner [as shown in FIG. 15, for example], and/or another output device such as a speaker or a haptic output device may be used to instruct the user to move device 10. The movement may be slight or substantial and may include any combination of linear motion and rotational motion.”; Fig. 15, four different tilt directions are shown) . Regarding claim 20, Ertan teaches an apparatus for wireless communication at a first user equipment (UE), comprising: a user interface (UI) (Fig. 15, UI of display 14) , at least one memory, and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory (para. 40, “Control circuitry 22 may include storage such as hard disk drive storage, nonvolatile memory [e.g., flash memory or other electrically-programmable-read-only memory configured to form a solid state drive], volatile memory [e.g., static or dynamic random-access-memory], etc. Processing circuitry in control circuitry 22 may be used to control the operation of device 10.”) , the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to: obtain an indication of a phase difference of arrival (PDoA) function related to the first UE (para. 28, “An electronic device such as electronic device 10 of FIG. 1 may interact with nodes in a system. The term ‘node’ may be used to refer to an electronic device, an object without electronics, and/or a particular location.”; para. 91, “In the first position of FIG. 11, node 78 has azimuth angle θ1 and elevation angle φ1 relative to device 10. While device 10 is in the first position of FIG. 11, antennas 48 [FIG. 10] may receive signals from node 78, and control circuitry 22 may determine a first set of possible angle of arrival solutions based on the measured phase difference between the signals received by antenna 48-1 and the signals received by antenna 48-2.”) , provide, at the UI, guidance for rotating the first UE from a current orientation to an orientation within a plurality of orientations (para. 101, “In arrangements where the user is prompted to move device 10, operations may proceed from step 200 to step 204. Step 204 may include presenting a prompt to the user that instructs the user to move device 10 in a particular fashion. For example, display 14 may present instructions to move device 10 in the desired manner [as shown in FIG. 15, for example], and/or another output device such as a speaker or a haptic output device may be used to instruct the user to move device 10. The movement may be slight or substantial and may include any combination of linear motion and rotational motion.”) , obtain a set of PDoA measurements associated with a second UE when the first UE is associated with the plurality of orientations (para. 28, “An electronic device such as electronic device 10 of FIG. 1 may interact with nodes in a system. The term ‘node’ may be used to refer to an electronic device, an object without electronics, and/or a particular location.”; para. 91, “In the first position of FIG. 11, node 78 has azimuth angle θ1 and elevation angle φ1 relative to device 10. While device 10 is in the first position of FIG. 11, antennas 48 [FIG. 10] may receive signals from node 78, and control circuitry 22 may determine a first set of possible angle of arrival solutions based on the measured phase difference between the signals received by antenna 48-1 and the signals received by antenna 48-2.”; para. 96, “Prompt 96 may change during angle of arrival measurement operations [e.g., may change after a set of signals 58 from node 78 are received by antennas 48 in a given position], or prompt 96 may remain the same throughout the process.”) , compute, based on the PDoA function, the set of PDoA measurements, and the plurality of orientations of the first UE, a general function that is associated with a probability in which the second UE is at a set of relative directions compared to the first UE, and estimate, based on the computed general function, a relative direction of the second UE compared to the first UE, wherein the relative direction is included in the set of relative directions (para. 112, “In other scenarios, there may still be some ambiguity in the azimuth angle θ and/or the elevation angle φ. If desired, control circuitry 22 may gather a set of possible directions of arrival [e.g., multiple sets of azimuth and elevation angles] using the three or more antennas 48. Control circuitry 22 may assign a probability value to each possible angle of arrival [e.g., each azimuth and elevation angle pair]. Control circuitry 22 may then select an angle of arrival based on its probability value. If desired, control circuitry 22 may resolve ambiguities in the angle of arrival using motion sensor data as discussed in connection with step 212 of FIG. 16.”; Examiner is construing the generation and assignment of probability values as a computation of a function associated with a probability) . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ertan in view of Pandey (US 20140266908 A1) . Regarding claim 4, Ertan teaches the apparatus of claim 1, including estimation, based on the computed general function, of the relative direction of the second UE compared to the first UE (see rejection of claim 1 above) , but fails to teach wherein to estimate, based on the computed general function, the relative direction of the second UE compared to the first UE, the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to: determine, based on the computed general function, a set of points that provides a highest probability in which the second UE is at the set of points, and calculate, based on the set of points, the relative direction of the second UE compared to the first UE. However, Pandey teaches wherein to estimate, based on the computed general function, the relative direction of the second access point compared to the first access point, the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to: determine, based on the computed general function, a set of points that provides a highest probability in which the second access point is at the set of points, and calculate, based on the set of points, the relative direction of the second access point compared to the first access point (para. 45, “In an example embodiment, the controller 504 is operable to compare a phase difference of the signal received from a wireless device whose orientation is to be determined with the heat map to determine the angle of arrival of the signal. In particular embodiments, the controller 504 determines a likelihood that a signal came from a predefined grid point for the grid points in the heat map and selects an angle or arrival corresponding to the grid point with the highest likelihood.”; Pandey teaches a PDoA-based method of determining a direction of a device relative to another device similar to that of Ertan, however with access points instead of UEs) . 07-21-aia AIA Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ertan in view of Bhawnani et al. (US 20240063928 A1), hereinafter Bhawnani . Regarding claim 17, Ertan teaches the apparatus of claim 16, but fails to teach wherein the UI comprises a graphical user interface (GUI) configured to display a first graphical icon that is configured to rotate as the first UE is rotated or a second graphical icon that is configured to move as the first UE is moved. However, Bhawnani teaches wherein the UI comprises a graphical user interface (GUI) configured to display a first graphical icon that is configured to rotate as the first UE is rotated or a second graphical icon that is configured to move as the first UE is moved (para. 93, “As previously described with respect to FIG. 8, such embodiments may further include displaying a first graphical icon on the image that moves as the mobile device is rotated and a second graphical icon on the image that is static with respect to the mobile device, wherein the first graphical icon aligns with the second graphical icon when the mobile device is rotated to the orientation within the set of target orientations.”) . Allowable Subject Matter 12-151-08 AIA 07-43 12-51-08 Claim s 5-7 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. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERIC K HODAC whose telephone number is (571) 270-0123. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 8-6. 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, VLADIMIR MAGLOIRE can be reached at (571) 270-5144. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /ERIC K HODAC/Examiner, Art Unit 3648 /VLADIMIR MAGLOIRE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3648 Application/Control Number: 18/676,355 Page 2 Art Unit: 3648 Application/Control Number: 18/676,355 Page 3 Art Unit: 3648 Application/Control Number: 18/676,355 Page 4 Art Unit: 3648 Application/Control Number: 18/676,355 Page 5 Art Unit: 3648 Application/Control Number: 18/676,355 Page 6 Art Unit: 3648 Application/Control Number: 18/676,355 Page 7 Art Unit: 3648 Application/Control Number: 18/676,355 Page 8 Art Unit: 3648 Application/Control Number: 18/676,355 Page 9 Art Unit: 3648 Application/Control Number: 18/676,355 Page 10 Art Unit: 3648 Application/Control Number: 18/676,355 Page 11 Art Unit: 3648 Application/Control Number: 18/676,355 Page 12 Art Unit: 3648 Application/Control Number: 18/676,355 Page 13 Art Unit: 3648 Application/Control Number: 18/676,355 Page 14 Art Unit: 3648 Application/Control Number: 18/676,355 Page 15 Art Unit: 3648 Application/Control Number: 18/676,355 Page 16 Art Unit: 3648
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