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 .
Application, submitted on 03/19/2024, has been received, entered, and made of record. Currently, claims 1-2,4-5,7-8,10,12-14,16-17,19-20 and 22-27 remain pending in the application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/09/2024 was filed in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner as indicated. However, Applicant has not provided an explanation of relevance of cited document(s).
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, 4-5, 13, 16, 17, 25 and 26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C.102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Tao US 2024/0323885 A1.
Referring to claim 1, Tao discloses an information processing method, applied to a location management function server (fig.1, location management function (LMF) network element 11), comprising:
receiving timing related information transmitted by a communications device ([0028]-[0029]) (Note: the LMF receives a first indication information transmitted by a transmission end, where the first indication information is used for indicating timing error group (TEG) information of the transmission end); and
determining a position of user equipment (UE) based on the timing related information ([0032] and [0035]) (Note: the LMF positions a terminal device (UE) according to the TEG information of the terminal device or the TEG information of the TRP),
wherein the communications device is the UE or a network device; the network device comprises a base station or a transmission and reception point (TRP) ([0029]) (Note: Tao discloses wherein the transmission end is a terminal device (UE) or a transmitting reception point (TRP)); and
the timing related information comprises at least one of:
third information associated with a timing error group (TEG) ([0029]) (Note: the first indication information is used for indicating timing error group (TEG) information of the transmission end);
Referring to claim 4, Tao discloses the information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the third information comprises at least one of:
first association information between timestamp information and a TEG of the UE ([0060]-[0061] and table 1) (Note: Tao discloses an association information between time information and a TEG);
wherein the first association information comprises: a timestamp corresponding to a time instant when the TEG of the UE changes ([0061] and table 1) (Note: a time instant is associated with a TEG);
the TEG comprises at least one of a transmitting TEG or a receiving TEG ([0057]-[0058) (Note: the LMF network element may transmit the third indication information to the terminal device, so that the terminal device may obtain the resource information of the DL PRS and the TEG information of the LMF. Thus, the TEG comprises a receiving TEG);
the timestamp information comprises: ([0061]-[0062]) (Note: Tao discloses a time associated with a downlink (DL) positioning reference signal (PRS)).
Referring to claim 5, Tao discloses the information processing method according to claim 4, wherein the third information further comprises:
a TEG identity number before and after a first timestamp ([0033] and table 1) (Note: the TEG information may be a TEG identification); or,
a TEG index number before and after a first timestamp ([0033] and table 1) (Note: the TEG information may be a TEG value) ; and
wherein the first timestamp is a timestamp corresponding to a time instant when the TEG changes (table 1).
Referring to claim 13, the same ground of rejection provided for claim 1 is applicable herein. Tao further discloses an information processing method, applied to a communications device (fig.1, Terminal device 13 , TRP 12), comprising:
transmitting timing related information to a location management function server ([0029]) (Note: first indication information transmitted by a transmission end is received by an LMF network element 11); wherein the communications device is: user equipment (UE) (fig.1, Terminal device 13) or a network device: the network device comprises a base station or a transmission and reception point (TRP) (fig.1, TRP 12) ([0029]) (Note: where the first indication information is used for indicating timing error group information of the transmission end, and the transmission end is a terminal device or a transmitting reception point (TRP)).
Referring to claim 16, the same ground of rejection provided for claim 4 is applicable herein.
Referring to claim 17, the same ground of rejection provided for claim 5 is applicable herein.
Referring to claim 25, Tao discloses a location management function server (fig.1, LMF network element 11 and fig.11, communication apparatus 110), comprising a memory (fig.11, Memory 1102), a transceiver (fig.11, transceiver 1105) and a processor (fig.11, processor 1101), wherein:
the memory is configured to store a computer program (fig.11, computer program 1104);
the transceiver is configured to transmit and/or receive data under the control of the processor ([0155]); the processor is configured to read the computer program from the memory to perform the method according to claim 1 ([0155] and [0157]).
Referring to claim 26, the same ground of rejection provided for claim 1 is applicable herein. Tao further discloses a communications device (fig.11, communication apparatus 110), comprising a memory (fig.11, Memory 1102), a transceiver (fig.11, Transceiver 1105) and a processor (fig.11, Processor 1101), wherein:
the memory is configured to store a computer program (fig.11, computer program 1104);
the transceiver is configured to transmit and/or receive data under the control of the processor ([0155]) (Note: transceiver 1105 includes a receiver for implementing a receiving function and a transmitter for implementing a transmitting function);
the processor is configured to read the computer program from the memory to perform the following operations ([0154]):
transmitting, by the transceiver, timing related information to a location management function server; wherein the communications device is: user equipment (UE) or a network device: the network device comprises a base station or a transmission and reception point (TRP) ([0158]-[0159]).
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 2, 14, and 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tao in view of Li US 2023/0208580 A1.
Referring to claim 2, Tao discloses the information processing method according to claim 1, except wherein the first time information comprises uplink timestamp information, and the uplink timestamp information comprises: information on a subframe or a slot where the uplink positioning reference signal transmitted by the UE is located; and/or, the second time information comprises: downlink timestamp information, and the downlink timestamp information comprises: information on a subframe or a slot where the downlink positioning reference signal transmitted by the network device is located.
However, in the same field of endeavor of information processing method art, Li discloses a concept ([0135]) (Note: time domain parameter is configured to indicate a time domain position of the downlink PRS. For example, the start time slot position is a time slot where the current round of transmissions of the downlink PRS starts (i.e., a time slot position where the downlink PRS is sent for the first time in the current round of transmissions of the downlink PRS)).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention by the applicant to modify the information processing method of Tao with the concept of Li to obtain the claimed invention. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to improve positioning accuracy by reduce the positioning delay.
Referring to claim 14, the same ground of rejection provided for claim 2 is applicable herein.
Referring to claim 27, the same ground of rejection provided for claim 2 is applicable herein.
Claims 7 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tao in view of KO et al. (hereinafter referred to as KO, US 2022/0346050 A1).
Referring to claim 7, Tao discloses the information processing method according to claim 1, except wherein the timing adjustment information comprises: a timing adjustment value configured by the network device, or a timing adjustment value set by the UE; and the timing adjustment information comprises time adjustment information for adjusting the transmitting time instant of the uplink positioning reference signal;
and/or wherein the fourth information comprises: uplink timestamp information corresponding to a time instant when the timing adjustment information changes, and a changed amount for timing adjustment at the time instant when the timing adjustment information changes or a timing adjustment value before and after the time instant when the timing adjustment information changes; and that the timing adjustment information changes comprises a timing adjustment value of the uplink positioning reference signal transmitted by the UE is updated.
However, in the same field of endeavor of information processing method art, KO discloses a concept wherein the timing adjustment information comprises: a timing adjustment value configured by the network device, or a timing adjustment value set by the UE; and the timing adjustment information comprises time adjustment information for adjusting the transmitting time instant of the uplink positioning reference signal ([0313]-[0316]) (Note: the UE adjusts a Timing Advance (TA) value for adjusting the transmitting time of the uplink positioning reference signal (UL PRS)).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention by the applicant to modify the information processing method of Tao with the concept of KO to obtain the claimed invention. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to enhance positioning accuracy and mitigate interference.
Referring to claim 19, the same ground of rejection provided for claim 7 is applicable herein.
Claims 8 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tao in view of KO, and further in view of MANOLAKOS et al. (hereinafter referred to as MANOLAKOS, US 2020/0374728 A1).
Referring to claim 8, Tao in view of KO discloses the information processing method according to claim 7, except wherein the timing adjustment information comprises: a timing adjustment value corresponding to each of samples used to calculate a positioning measurement quantity.
However, in the same field of endeavor of information processing method art, MANOLAKOS discloses a concept wherein the timing adjustment information comprises: a timing adjustment value corresponding to each of samples used to calculate a positioning measurement quantity ([0007]) (Note: receiving a report indicating that a timing adjustment parameter has been adjusted for at least the second uplink reference signal (sample), and determining one or more positioning measurements based on the first uplink reference signal, the second uplink reference signal, and information in the report related to the second uplink reference signal).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention by the applicant to modify the information processing method of Tao in view of KO with the concept of MANOLAKOS to obtain the claimed invention. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to enhance positioning accuracy.
Referring to claim 20, the same ground of rejection provided for claim 8 is applicable herein.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tao in view of CHA et al. (hereinafter referred to as CHA, US 2022/0174641 A1).
Referring to claim 10, Tao discloses the information processing method according to claim 1, except receiving a measurement value of transmission and reception time difference transmitted by the communications device: wherein the determining the position of the UE based on the timing related information comprises: determining the position of the UE based on the timing related information and the measurement value of transmission and reception time difference.
However, in the same field of endeavor of information processing method art, CHA discloses receiving a measurement value of transmission and reception time difference transmitted by the communications device: wherein the determining the position of the UE based on the timing related information comprises: determining the position of the UE based on the timing related information and the measurement value of transmission and reception time difference ([0236]-[0238]) (Note: the location server receives a measurement of a UE transmission/reception time difference (UE RX-TX time difference) and time of arrival (ToA) (for determining the position of the UE)).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention by the applicant to modify the information processing method of Tao with the concept of CHA to obtain the claimed invention. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to enhance positioning accuracy.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12 and 22-24 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 MOUSTAPHA DIABY whose telephone number is (571)270-1669. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday: 9AM-6PM.
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/MOUSTAPHA DIABY/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2683
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