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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements filed March 8, 2024, and August 15, 2025, fail to comply with 37 CFR 1.98(a)(3), which requires a copy of the translation of a filed non-English-language document if a written English-language translation of a non-English-language document, or portion thereof, is within the possession, custody, or control of, or is readily available to any individual designated in §1.56(c). It has been placed in the application file, but the information referred to therein has not been considered. Specifically, CN108083131A, CN112612040A, WO2021/056584A1, CN101193423A, CN108271238A, and CN112369069A have been filed with only the abstracts translated into English which, given the size and nature of the instant application and the above listed references, is insufficient.
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 11, and 22 are objected to because of the following informalities: The recitation “corresponds to duration” and “corresponds to valid duration” should read “correspond to a duration” and “corresponds to a valid duration”, respectively, or the like in order to ensure grammatical comprehension. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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.
Claims 1-19 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites “determining first information…wherein the first information corresponds to duration required for receiving a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signal and acquiring GNSS positioning information according to the GNSS signal” which is indefinite for two reasons.
First, it is unclear how the duration can be known unless the GNSS signal is actually received and the GNSS positioning information is actually acquired. In other words, the duration can be known retroactively, but not prospectively. If the duration could be known ahead of time, it would not need to be “determined” in the first place. In other words, it is unclear how first information can be determined when there does not seem to be any data on which to base such a determination, given that the method does not actually require receiving a GNSS signal or acquiring GNSS positioning information. The subsequent recitation of “the second information corresponds to valid duration of the GNSS positioning information acquired by the terminal device” is likewise rejected. Independent claims 11 and 22 are likewise rejected, and dependent claims 2-10 and 12-19 fail to cure the deficiency.
Second, assuming an embodiment of the invention where the GNSS signal is being received by the terminal device, it is unclear how the GNSS signal is received, i.e., whether the terminal device is receiving the signal, or some other operatively connected device. The terminal device is only claimed for the “determining” step, and does not appear to operatively related to the receiving aspect of said step. The same logic applies to “acquiring GNSS positioning information” because it is unclear if the terminal device is doing the acquiring, or some other, presumably connected, device. Independent claims 11 and 22 are likewise rejected, and dependent claims 2-10 and 12-19 fail to cure the deficiency.
Claim 1 recites “wherein the configuration information is determined by the network device according to the first information and the second information, and the configuration information is configured to indicate a timing for the terminal device to determine to receive and process the GNSS signal to acquire or reacquire the GNSS positioning information” which is indefinite, because it appears to be putting the cart before the horse by requiring that the configuration information is used to “indicate a timing for the terminal device to determine to receive and process the GNSS signal to acquire or reacquire the GNSS positioning information” when the configuration is determined based on the first information and the second information, which is based on the GNSS signal. This circular logic is inherently indefinite. According to the claim, the first and second information cannot logically require the configuration information in order to be determined because they are determined prior to the configuration information being determined. Independent claims 11 and 22 are likewise rejected, and dependent claims 2-10 and 12-19 fail to cure the deficiency.
Claim 22 recites “a processor; and a memory storing a computer program executable by the processor; wherein the processor is configured to: determine…” which is indefinite, because it is unclear if the processor as a specific structure or build that makes it uniquely capable of carrying out the subsequently-listed steps (which does not appear to be disclosed by Applicant), or whether Applicant intends for the processor and the memory to be operatively connected such that the processor can run the computer program stored by the memory.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-19 and 22 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) set forth in this Office action.
Specifically, with regard to claim 1 (independent claims 11 and 22 being substantively similar), Wang (US 2015/0160349 A1) discloses a method for receiving configuration information (abstract), performed by a terminal device in a non-terrestrial network (para. [0058]), comprising: determining first information and second information (para. [0060]); sending the first information and the second information to a network device (para. [0067]).
However, the prior art does not appear to teach the combined limitations of the claimed invention, specifically, wherein the first information corresponds to duration required for receiving a global navigation satellite system signal and acquiring GNSS positioning information according to the GNSS signal, and the second information corresponds to valid duration of the GNSS positioning information acquired by the terminal device; and receiving configuration information from the network device, wherein the configuration information is determined by the network device according to the first information and the second information, and the configuration information is configured to indicate a timing for the terminal device to determine to receive and process the GNSS signal to acquire or reacquire the GNSS positioning information.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRADY W FRAZIER whose telephone number is (469)295-9263. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm CT.
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/BRADY W FRAZIER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3648