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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 2026-07-20 (“Remarks”) have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to applicant's arguments against the references individually, one cannot show nonobviousness by attacking references individually where the rejections are based on combinations of references. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981); In re Merck & Co., 800 F.2d 1091, 231 USPQ 375 (Fed. Cir. 1986).
Regarding applicant’s argument that “Munier is … silent about the use of the specified symbol which includes a symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal, or a symbol located in a specified window configured for processing the positioning reference signal and comprising the symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal” (Remarks, pp. 10-11), examiner respectfully disagrees. As stated in the claim, a specified symbol includes a symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal. One of ordinary skill in the art would understand that any PRS received would be received on a symbol occupied by the PRS (at the time of reception). Additionally, as noted by applicant (and the prior non-final office action), “Munier, at paragraphs [0168-0169], discloses that the wireless device can perform positioning measurements or receive the DL channel transmission in accordance with the determined priority. In response to determining that a PRS is prioritized over the DL signal/channel (e.g. the PRS priority is higher), the wireless device can receive, measure, and/or process the PRS and drop, ignore and/or not process the other DL transmission…” (Remarks, p. 10, emphasis added). Thus, under the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claim limitation, Munier discloses determining that receiving no other downlink signals and/or channels except for the positioning reference signal on a specified symbol is performed. Further, and regarding applicant’s argument that “Yerramalli does not mention receiving no other downlink signals and/or channels except for the positioning reference signal” (Remarks, p. 11, emphasis in original), examiner notes that it is the combination of Si, Munier, and Yerramalli that teaches the limitations of former claim 8 (now the amended independent claims). As noted by applicant (and the prior non-final office action), “Yerramalli, at paragraph [0110-0112] discloses that a base station may transmit the PRS … the PRS resources may be a collection of resource elements that are used for transmission of PRS. The collection of resource elements can span multiple physical resource blocks (PRBs) in the frequency domain and N (e.g., 1 or more) consecutive symbol(s) within a slot in the time domain” (Remarks, p. 11, emphasis added). Thus, under the broadest reasonable interpretation, the combination of Si, Munier, and Yerramalli discloses determining, based on the first configuration information, that receiving no other downlink signals and/or channels except for the positioning reference signal on a specified symbol is performed; wherein the specified symbol comprises at least one of: a symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal; or a symbol located in a specified window configured for processing the positioning reference signal and comprising the symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal. For these reasons, the new ground(s) of rejection, necessitated by the amendments, are made in view of the previously applied references as presented in this Office action.
Claim Objections
Claim 8 has been amended to depend from claim 1. The objection to claim 8 is withdrawn.
Claim 3 is objected to because the preamble was omitted in the Amendment filed 2026-07-20. Since applicant indicated in the Remarks filed alongside the claim amendments that claim 3 was not amended, for the purposes of examination the examiner will interpret claim 3 as reading the same as the Previously Presented claim 3 as filed on 2024-04-08: “The method according to claim 1, wherein the first configuration information comprises any one of: the positioning reference signal being sent periodically; or, the positioning reference signal being sent aperiodically; or, the positioning reference signal being sent semi-persistently”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1, 4-5, 7-12, 16, 19, and 25-27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Publication No. 2023/0156656 to Si et al. (“Si”) in view of U.S. Patent Publication No. 2024/0243876 to Munier et al. (“Munier”) and U.S. Publication No. 2024/0172169 to Yerramalli et al. (“Yerramalli).
As to claim 1, Si discloses a method for configuring information, performed by a terminal (Si, Fig. 7 and ¶0175), comprising: receiving first configuration information (Si, Fig. 7, S710; ¶¶0176-0177).
Si does not disclose: wherein the first configuration information indicates that a priority of a positioning reference signal is a target priority, and a positioning reference signal with the target priority is a positioning reference signal that the terminal does not perform measurement based on a measurement gap; and determining, based on the first configuration information, that receiving no other downlink signals and/or channels except for the positioning reference signal on a specified symbol is performed; wherein the specified symbol comprises at least one of: a symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal; or a symbol located in a specified window configured for processing the positioning reference signal and comprising the symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal.
However, Munier discloses: wherein the first configuration information indicates that a priority of a positioning reference signal is a target priority, and a positioning reference signal with the target priority is a positioning reference signal that the terminal does not perform measurement based on a measurement gap (Munier, Fig. 7, step 152; ¶¶0163-0166, and steps 154-156; ¶¶0167-0170; see also ¶¶0057-0059, "The wireless device can comprise a radio interface and processing circuitry and be configured to signal that the wireless device can perform positioning measurements without a measurement gap. The wireless device receives configuration information including a priority indicator. The wireless device determines a priority associated with a positioning reference signal (PRS) and an overlapping downlink (DL) channel transmission in accordance with the priority indicator. Responsive to determining that the PRS priority is higher than the DL channel, at least one PRS outside of the measurement gap can be measured," and ¶¶0098-0106); and determining, based on the first configuration information, that receiving no other downlink signals and/or channels except for the positioning reference signal on a specified symbol is performed (Munier, Fig. 7, step 156; ¶¶0168-0169, "In response to determining that a PRS is prioritized over the DL signal/channel (e.g. the PRS priority is higher), the wireless device can receive, measure and/or process the PRS and drop, ignore and/or not process the other DL transmission"; please also see Response to Arguments section above).
Additionally, Yerramalli discloses: wherein the specified symbol comprises at least one of: a symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal; or a symbol located in a specified window configured for processing the positioning reference signal and comprising the symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal (Yerramalli, Figs. 5A-B and 6; ¶0100, ¶¶0108-0112; please also see Response to Arguments section above).
Si, Munier, and Yerramalli are considered to be similar to the claimed invention because they are in one or more of the same fields of: wireless communication networks and technologies related to measurement gap configuration and requests; locating users/terminals for network management purposes; and/or allocation of signaling, e.g. pilot signals, control signals, subchannels, etc. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Si to incorporate the teachings of Munier to include: wherein the first configuration information indicates that a priority of a positioning reference signal is a target priority, and a positioning reference signal with the target priority is a positioning reference signal that the terminal does not perform measurement based on a measurement gap; and determining, based on the first configuration information, that receiving no other downlink signals and/or channels except for the positioning reference signal on a specified symbol is performed. Doing so would "allow for the positioning system in NR to work with gap-less (i.e., without measurement gaps) PRS measurement. This can improve measurement latency and bypass the measurement gap request procedure. Mechanisms are introduced to efficiently enable gap-less measurement while ensuring quality measurement can be made, such as the condition for gap-less measurement being clearly defined, and dropping rules being defined to avoid collision and are made configurable when possible to give maximum control to the network in terms of efficiency" (Munier, ¶0106). Additionally, it would be obvious to combine the teachings of Munier with those of Si as there is a reasonable expectation of success and because doing so merely combines prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results.
Additionally, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Si to incorporate the teachings of Yerramalli to include: wherein the specified symbol comprises at least one of: a symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal; or a symbol located in a specified window configured for processing the positioning reference signal and comprising the symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal (Yerramalli, Figs. 5A-B and 6; ¶0100, ¶¶0108-0112). Doing so would assist in obtaining location(s) of mobile device(s) in a wireless network, which would "be useful for many applications including, for example, emergency calls, personal navigation, asset tracking, locating a friend or family member, etc." (Yerramalli, ¶0004), and "improvements in position related signaling may improve the efficiency of mobile devices" (Yerramalli, ¶0004). Additionally, it would be obvious to combine the teachings of Yerramalli with those of Si and Munier as there is a reasonable expectation of success and because doing so merely combines prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results.
As to claim 4, Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the first configuration information is sent by a location server; or, the first configuration information is sent by an access network device (Si, Fig. 7, S710; ¶¶0176-0177).
As to claim 5, Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli discloses the method according to claim 4, further comprising one of: sending resource request information to the location servers wherein the resource request information comprises suggestion configuration information of the positioning reference signal, the suggestion configuration information indicating that the priority of the positioning reference signal is the target priority, or, the resource request information comprises the first configuration information; or, sending resource request information to the access network device (Si, Fig. 7, S720; ¶¶0178-0179; please see also Fig. 3, S310 and ¶0060), wherein the resource request information comprises suggestion configuration information of the positioning reference signal, and the suggestion configuration information indicating that the priority of the positioning reference signal is the target priority (Si, Fig. 3, S310; ¶0060 and ¶¶0074-0075), or, the resource request information comprises the first configuration information (Munier, Fig. 7, step 152; ¶¶0163-0166, and steps 154-156; ¶¶0167-0170; see also ¶¶0057-0059 and ¶¶0098-0106).
As to claim 7, Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli discloses the method according to claim 5, wherein the resource request information is carried on any one of a physical random access channel (PRACH), a scheduling request (SR), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), and a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) (Yerramalli, ¶0035, "The UE may also receive connection and control information including … random access channel configurations (e.g., Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Random Access Channel (RACH)) … and other information to define the interface between the UE and the network. The UE may be configured to utilize the connection and control information to request one or more DL-PRS configurations").
As to claim 8, Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the specified symbol further comprises at least one of: X symbols located before the symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal and adjacent to the symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal; or Y symbols located after the symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal and adjacent to the symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal, where X and Y are positive integers (Yerramalli, Figs. 5A-B and 6; ¶0100, ¶¶0108-0112).
As to claim 9, Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the downlink signal and/or channel comprises at least one of: a physical broadcast channel (PBCH); a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH); a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) (Munier, Fig. 7, step 154; ¶0167); a synchronization resource block (SSB); a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS); or a demodulation reference signal (DMRS).
As to claim 25, Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli discloses a terminal (Si, Fig. 13, terminal 1300; ¶¶0311-0317), comprising: a processor (Si, Fig. 13, processor 1310; ¶¶0311-0317); a transceiver coupled to the processor (Si, Fig. 13, radio frequency unit 1301; ¶¶0311-0317); wherein the processor is configured to load and execute executable instructions to implement the method for configuring information according to claim 1 (Si, Fig. 13, processor 1310 and memory 1309; ¶¶0311-0317).
As to claim 10, Si discloses a method for configuring information, performed by an access network device (Si, Fig. 3 and ¶0059; please also see Fig. 2 and ¶0040), comprising: receiving resource request information (Si, Fig. 3, S310; ¶0060); wherein the resource request information comprises suggestion configuration information of a positioning reference signal, the suggestion configuration information indicating that a priority of the positioning reference signal is a target priority (Si, Fig. 3, S310; ¶0060 and ¶¶0074-0075), or, the resource request information comprises first configuration information (Si, Fig. 3, S310; ¶0060 and ¶¶0071-0073).
Si does not disclose: the first configuration information indicates that the priority of the positioning reference signal is the target priority, and the positioning reference signal with the target priority is a positioning reference signal that a terminal does not perform measurement based on a measurement gap; wherein the first configuration information is configured for the terminal to determine that receiving no other downlink signals and/or channels except for the positioning reference signal on a specified symbol is performed; wherein the specified symbol comprises at least one of: a symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal; or a symbol located in a specified window configured for processing the positioning reference signal and comprising the symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal.
However, Munier discloses: the first configuration information indicates that the priority of the positioning reference signal is the target priority, and the positioning reference signal with the target priority is a positioning reference signal that a terminal does not perform measurement based on a measurement gap (Munier, Fig. 7, step 152; ¶¶0163-0166, and steps 154-156; ¶¶0167-0170; see also ¶¶0057-0059, "The wireless device can comprise a radio interface and processing circuitry and be configured to signal that the wireless device can perform positioning measurements without a measurement gap. The wireless device receives configuration information including a priority indicator. The wireless device determines a priority associated with a positioning reference signal (PRS) and an overlapping downlink (DL) channel transmission in accordance with the priority indicator. Responsive to determining that the PRS priority is higher than the DL channel, at least one PRS outside of the measurement gap can be measured," and ¶¶0098-0106); wherein the first configuration information is configured for the terminal to determine that receiving no other downlink signals and/or channels except for the positioning reference signal on a specified symbol is performed (Munier, Fig. 7, step 156; ¶¶0168-0169, "In response to determining that a PRS is prioritized over the DL signal/channel (e.g. the PRS priority is higher), the wireless device can receive, measure and/or process the PRS and drop, ignore and/or not process the other DL transmission"; please also see Response to Arguments section above).
Additionally, Yerramalli discloses: wherein the specified symbol comprises at least one of: a symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal; or a symbol located in a specified window configured for processing the positioning reference signal and comprising the symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal (Yerramalli, Figs. 5A-B and 6; ¶0100, ¶¶0108-0112; please also see Response to Arguments section above).
Si, Munier, and Yerramalli are considered to be similar to the claimed invention because they are in one or more of the same fields of: wireless communication networks and technologies related to measurement gap configuration and requests; locating users/terminals for network management purposes; and/or allocation of signaling, e.g. pilot signals, control signals, subchannels, etc. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Si to incorporate the teachings of Munier to include: the first configuration information indicates that the priority of the positioning reference signal is the target priority, and the positioning reference signal with the target priority is a positioning reference signal that a terminal does not perform measurement based on a measurement gap; wherein the first configuration information is configured for the terminal to determine that receiving no other downlink signals and/or channels except for the positioning reference signal on a specified symbol is performed. Doing so would "allow for the positioning system in NR to work with gap-less (i.e., without measurement gaps) PRS measurement. This can improve measurement latency and bypass the measurement gap request procedure. Mechanisms are introduced to efficiently enable gap-less measurement while ensuring quality measurement can be made, such as the condition for gap-less measurement being clearly defined, and dropping rules being defined to avoid collision and are made configurable when possible to give maximum control to the network in terms of efficiency" (Munier, ¶0106). Additionally, it would be obvious to combine the teachings of Munier with those of Si as there is a reasonable expectation of success and because doing so merely combines prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results.
Additionally, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Si to incorporate the teachings of Yerramalli to include: wherein the specified symbol comprises at least one of: a symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal; or a symbol located in a specified window configured for processing the positioning reference signal and comprising the symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal. Doing so would assist in obtaining location(s) of mobile device(s) in a wireless network, which would "be useful for many applications including, for example, emergency calls, personal navigation, asset tracking, locating a friend or family member, etc." (Yerramalli, ¶0004), and "improvements in position related signaling may improve the efficiency of mobile devices" (Yerramalli, ¶0004). Additionally, it would be obvious to combine the teachings of Yerramalli with those of Si and Munier as there is a reasonable expectation of success and because doing so merely combines prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results.
As to claim 11, Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli discloses the method according to claim 10, wherein the resource request information is sent by a terminal; or, wherein the resource request information is sent by a location server (Si, Fig. 3, S310; ¶0060).
As to claim 12, Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli discloses the method according to claim 10, further comprising: sending the first configuration information (Si, Fig. 3, S320; ¶¶0082-0097).
As to claim 26, Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli discloses an access network device (Si, Fig. 14, network-side device 1400; ¶¶0318-0323: the network-side device 1400 may be the base station or location server), comprising: a processor (Si, Fig. 14, processor 1404; ¶¶0318-0323); a transceiver coupled to the processor (Si, Fig. 14, antenna 1401; ¶¶0318-0323); wherein the processor is configured to load and execute executable instructions to implement the method for configuring information according to claim 10 (Si, Fig. 14, processor 1404 and memory 1405; ¶0318-0323).
As to claim 16, Si discloses a method for configuring information, performed by a location server (Si, Fig. 5 and ¶108; please also see Figs. 4 and 6, ¶0100, and ¶0150), comprising: sending first configuration information (Si, Fig. 5, S510, and ¶0110; please also see Fig. 4, S410; ¶¶0101-0102).
Si does not disclose: wherein the first configuration information indicates that a priority of a positioning reference signal is a target priority, and a positioning reference signal with the target priority is a positioning reference signal that the terminal does not perform measurement based on a measurement gap; wherein the first configuration information is configured for the terminal to determine that receiving no other downlink signals and/or channels except for the positioning reference signal on a specified symbol is performed; wherein the specified symbol comprises at least one of: a symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal; or a symbol located in a specified window configured for processing the positioning reference signal and comprising the symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal.
However, Munier discloses: wherein the first configuration information indicates that a priority of a positioning reference signal is a target priority, and a positioning reference signal with the target priority is a positioning reference signal that the terminal does not perform measurement based on a measurement gap (Munier, Fig. 7, step 152; ¶¶0163-0166, and steps 154-156; ¶¶0167-0170; see also ¶¶0057-0059, "The wireless device can comprise a radio interface and processing circuitry and be configured to signal that the wireless device can perform positioning measurements without a measurement gap. The wireless device receives configuration information including a priority indicator. The wireless device determines a priority associated with a positioning reference signal (PRS) and an overlapping downlink (DL) channel transmission in accordance with the priority indicator. Responsive to determining that the PRS priority is higher than the DL channel, at least one PRS outside of the measurement gap can be measured," and ¶¶0098-0106); wherein the first configuration information is configured for the terminal to determine that receiving no other downlink signals and/or channels except for the positioning reference signal on a specified symbol is performed (Munier, Fig. 7, step 156; ¶¶0168-0169, "In response to determining that a PRS is prioritized over the DL signal/channel (e.g. the PRS priority is higher), the wireless device can receive, measure and/or process the PRS and drop, ignore and/or not process the other DL transmission"; please also see Response to Arguments section above).
Additionally, Yerramalli discloses: wherein the specified symbol comprises at least one of: a symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal; or a symbol located in a specified window configured for processing the positioning reference signal and comprising the symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal (Yerramalli, Figs. 5A-B and 6; ¶0100, ¶¶0108-0112; please also see Response to Arguments section above).
Si, Munier, and Yerramalli are considered to be similar to the claimed invention because they are in one or more of the same fields of: wireless communication networks and technologies related to measurement gap configuration and requests; locating users/terminals for network management purposes; and/or allocation of signaling, e.g. pilot signals, control signals, subchannels, etc. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Si to incorporate the teachings of Munier to include: wherein the first configuration information indicates that a priority of a positioning reference signal is a target priority, and a positioning reference signal with the target priority is a positioning reference signal that the terminal does not perform measurement based on a measurement gap; wherein the first configuration information is configured for the terminal to determine that receiving no other downlink signals and/or channels except for the positioning reference signal on a specified symbol is performed. Doing so would "allow for the positioning system in NR to work with gap-less (i.e., without measurement gaps) PRS measurement. This can improve measurement latency and bypass the measurement gap request procedure. Mechanisms are introduced to efficiently enable gap-less measurement while ensuring quality measurement can be made, such as the condition for gap-less measurement being clearly defined, and dropping rules being defined to avoid collision and are made configurable when possible to give maximum control to the network in terms of efficiency" (Munier, ¶0106). Additionally, it would be obvious to combine the teachings of Munier with those of Si as there is a reasonable expectation of success and because doing so merely combines prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results.
Additionally, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Si to incorporate the teachings of Yerramalli to include: wherein the specified symbol comprises at least one of: a symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal; or a symbol located in a specified window configured for processing the positioning reference signal and comprising the symbol occupied by the positioning reference signal. Doing so would assist in obtaining location(s) of mobile device(s) in a wireless network, which would "be useful for many applications including, for example, emergency calls, personal navigation, asset tracking, locating a friend or family member, etc." (Yerramalli, ¶0004), and "improvements in position related signaling may improve the efficiency of mobile devices" (Yerramalli, ¶0004). Additionally, it would be obvious to combine the teachings of Yerramalli with those of Si and Munier as there is a reasonable expectation of success and because doing so merely combines prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results.
As to claim 19, Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli discloses the method according to claim 16, further comprising one of: receiving resource request information sent by the terminal, wherein the resource request information comprises suggestion configuration information of the positioning reference signal, the suggestion configuration information indicating that the priority of the positioning reference signal is the target priority (Si, Fig. 5, S530; ¶0125 and ¶0131; please also see Fig. 3, S310 and ¶0060), or, the resource request information comprises the first configuration information (Munier, Fig. 7, step 152; ¶¶0163-0166, and steps 154-156; ¶¶0167-0170; see also ¶¶0057-0059 and ¶¶0098-0106); sending resource request information to an access network device (Si, Fig. 5, S520; ¶0111), and receiving the first configuration information sent by the access network device (Si, Fig. 5, S530; ¶0125), wherein the resource request information comprises suggestion configuration information of the positioning reference signal, and the suggestion configuration information indicates that the priority of the positioning reference signal is the target priority (Si, Fig. 5, S520; ¶¶0111-0124); or sending resource request information to an access network device (Si, Fig. 5, S520; ¶0111), wherein the resource request information comprises the first configuration information (Munier, Fig. 7, step 152; ¶¶0163-0166, and steps 154-156; ¶¶0167-0170; see also ¶¶0057-0059 and ¶¶0098-0106).
As to claim 27, Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli discloses a location server (Si, Fig. 14, network-side device 1400; ¶¶0318-0323: the network-side device 1400 may be the base station or location server), comprising: a processor (Si, Fig. 14, processor 1404; ¶¶0318-0323); a transceiver coupled to the processor (Si, Fig. 14, antenna 1401; ¶¶0318-0323); wherein the processor is configured to load and execute executable instructions to implement the method for configuring information according to claim 16 (Si, Fig. 14, processor 1404 and memory 1405; ¶0318-0323).
Claims 2-3, 13-14, and 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli and further in view of U.S. Patent Publication No. 2023/0283424 to Rao et al. (“Rao”).
As to claim 2, Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli discloses the method according to claim 1.
Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli does not disclose: wherein the first configuration information comprises at least one of: a set identifier of a positioning reference signal set, wherein the positioning reference signal set comprises at least one positioning reference signal resource; a resource identifier of the positioning reference signal resource; a time domain position occupied by the positioning reference signal; a frequency domain position occupied by the positioning reference signal; or a sequence identifier of the positioning reference signal.
However, Rao discloses: wherein the first configuration information comprises at least one of: a set identifier of a positioning reference signal set, wherein the positioning reference signal set comprises at least one positioning reference signal resource; a resource identifier of the positioning reference signal resource; a time domain position occupied by the positioning reference signal; a frequency domain position occupied by the positioning reference signal; or a sequence identifier of the positioning reference signal (Rao, ¶0153).
Si, Munier, Yerramalli, and Rao are considered to be similar to the claimed invention because they are in one or more of the same fields of: wireless communication networks and technologies related to measurement gap configuration and requests; locating users/terminals for network management purposes; and/or allocation of signaling, e.g. pilot signals, control signals, subchannels, etc. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli to incorporate the teachings of Rao to include: wherein the first configuration information comprises at least one of: a set identifier of a positioning reference signal set, wherein the positioning reference signal set comprises at least one positioning reference signal resource; a resource identifier of the positioning reference signal resource; a time domain position occupied by the positioning reference signal; a frequency domain position occupied by the positioning reference signal; or a sequence identifier of the positioning reference signal. Doing so would "reduce end-to-end latency for positioning and configuration, improve positioning accuracy, reduce overhead for configuration" (Rao, ¶0083). Additionally, it would be obvious to combine the teachings of Rao with those of Si, Munier, and Yerramalli as there is a reasonable expectation of success and because doing so merely combines prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results.
As to claim 3, Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli discloses the method according to claim 1.
Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli does not disclose: wherein the first configuration information comprises any one of: the positioning reference signal being sent periodically; or, the positioning reference signal being sent aperiodically; or, the positioning reference signal being sent semi-persistently.
However, Rao discloses: wherein the first configuration information comprises any one of: the positioning reference signal being sent periodically; or, the positioning reference signal being sent aperiodically; or, the positioning reference signal being sent semi-persistently (Rao, ¶¶0152-0154).
Si, Munier, Yerramalli, and Rao are considered to be similar to the claimed invention because they are in one or more of the same fields of: wireless communication networks and technologies related to measurement gap configuration and requests; locating users/terminals for network management purposes; and/or allocation of signaling, e.g. pilot signals, control signals, subchannels, etc. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli to incorporate the teachings of Rao to include: wherein the first configuration information comprises any one of: the positioning reference signal being sent periodically; or, the positioning reference signal being sent aperiodically; or, the positioning reference signal being sent semi-persistently. Doing so would "reduce end-to-end latency for positioning and configuration, improve positioning accuracy, reduce overhead for configuration" (Rao, ¶0083). Additionally, it would be obvious to combine the teachings of Rao with those of Si, Munier, and Yerramalli as there is a reasonable expectation of success and because doing so merely combines prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results.
As to claim 13, Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli discloses the method according to claim 10.
Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli does not disclose: wherein the first configuration information comprises at least one of: a set identifier of a positioning reference signal set, wherein the positioning reference signal set comprises at least one positioning reference signal resource; a resource identifier of the positioning reference signal resource; a time domain position occupied by the positioning reference signal; a frequency domain position occupied by the positioning reference signal; or a sequence identifier of the positioning reference signal.
However, Rao discloses: wherein the first configuration information comprises at least one of: a set identifier of a positioning reference signal set, wherein the positioning reference signal set comprises at least one positioning reference signal resource; a resource identifier of the positioning reference signal resource; a time domain position occupied by the positioning reference signal; a frequency domain position occupied by the positioning reference signal; or a sequence identifier of the positioning reference signal (Rao, ¶0153).
Si, Munier, Yerramalli, and Rao are considered to be similar to the claimed invention because they are in one or more of the same fields of: wireless communication networks and technologies related to measurement gap configuration and requests; locating users/terminals for network management purposes; and/or allocation of signaling, e.g. pilot signals, control signals, subchannels, etc. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli to incorporate the teachings of Rao to include: wherein the first configuration information comprises at least one of: a set identifier of a positioning reference signal set, wherein the positioning reference signal set comprises at least one positioning reference signal resource; a resource identifier of the positioning reference signal resource; a time domain position occupied by the positioning reference signal; a frequency domain position occupied by the positioning reference signal; or a sequence identifier of the positioning reference signal. Doing so would "reduce end-to-end latency for positioning and configuration, improve positioning accuracy, reduce overhead for configuration" (Rao, ¶0083). Additionally, it would be obvious to combine the teachings of Rao with those of Si, Munier, and Yerramalli as there is a reasonable expectation of success and because doing so merely combines prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results.
As to claim 14, Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli discloses the method according to claim 10.
Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli does not disclose: wherein the first configuration information comprises any one of: the positioning reference signal being sent periodically; or, the positioning reference signal being sent aperiodically; or, the positioning reference signal being sent semi-persistently.
However, Rao discloses: wherein the first configuration information comprises any one of: the positioning reference signal being sent periodically; or, the positioning reference signal being sent aperiodically; or, the positioning reference signal being sent semi-persistently (Rao, ¶¶0152-0154).
Si, Munier, Yerramalli, and Rao are considered to be similar to the claimed invention because they are in one or more of the same fields of: wireless communication networks and technologies related to measurement gap configuration and requests; locating users/terminals for network management purposes; and/or allocation of signaling, e.g. pilot signals, control signals, subchannels, etc. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli to incorporate the teachings of Rao to include: wherein the first configuration information comprises any one of: the positioning reference signal being sent periodically; or, the positioning reference signal being sent aperiodically; or, the positioning reference signal being sent semi-persistently. Doing so would "reduce end-to-end latency for positioning and configuration, improve positioning accuracy, reduce overhead for configuration" (Rao, ¶0083). Additionally, it would be obvious to combine the teachings of Rao with those of Si, Munier, and Yerramalli as there is a reasonable expectation of success and because doing so merely combines prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results.
As to claim 17, Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli discloses the method according to claim 16.
Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli does not disclose: wherein the first configuration information comprises at least one of: a set identifier of a positioning reference signal set, wherein the positioning reference signal set comprises at least one positioning reference signal resource; a resource identifier of the positioning reference signal resource; a time domain position occupied by the positioning reference signal; a frequency domain position occupied by the positioning reference signal; or a sequence identifier of the positioning reference signal.
However, Rao discloses: wherein the first configuration information comprises at least one of: a set identifier of a positioning reference signal set, wherein the positioning reference signal set comprises at least one positioning reference signal resource; a resource identifier of the positioning reference signal resource; a time domain position occupied by the positioning reference signal; a frequency domain position occupied by the positioning reference signal; or a sequence identifier of the positioning reference signal (Rao, ¶0153).
Si, Munier, Yerramalli, and Rao are considered to be similar to the claimed invention because they are in one or more of the same fields of: wireless communication networks and technologies related to measurement gap configuration and requests; locating users/terminals for network management purposes; and/or allocation of signaling, e.g. pilot signals, control signals, subchannels, etc. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli to incorporate the teachings of Rao to include: wherein the first configuration information comprises at least one of: a set identifier of a positioning reference signal set, wherein the positioning reference signal set comprises at least one positioning reference signal resource; a resource identifier of the positioning reference signal resource; a time domain position occupied by the positioning reference signal; a frequency domain position occupied by the positioning reference signal; or a sequence identifier of the positioning reference signal. Doing so would "reduce end-to-end latency for positioning and configuration, improve positioning accuracy, reduce overhead for configuration" (Rao, ¶0083). Additionally, it would be obvious to combine the teachings of Rao with those of Si, Munier, and Yerramalli as there is a reasonable expectation of success and because doing so merely combines prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results.
As to claim 18, Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli discloses the method according to claim 16.
Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli does not disclose: wherein the first configuration information comprises any one of: the positioning reference signal being sent periodically; or, the positioning reference signal being sent aperiodically; or, the positioning reference signal being sent semi-persistently.
However, Rao discloses: wherein the first configuration information comprises any one of: the positioning reference signal being sent periodically; or, the positioning reference signal being sent aperiodically; or, the positioning reference signal being sent semi-persistently (Rao, ¶¶0152-0154).
Si, Munier, Yerramalli, and Rao are considered to be similar to the claimed invention because they are in one or more of the same fields of: wireless communication networks and technologies related to measurement gap configuration and requests; locating users/terminals for network management purposes; and/or allocation of signaling, e.g. pilot signals, control signals, subchannels, etc. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Si in view of Munier and Yerramalli to incorporate the teachings of Rao to include: wherein the first configuration information comprises any one of: the positioning reference signal being sent periodically; or, the positioning reference signal being sent aperiodically; or, the positioning reference signal being sent semi-persistently. Doing so would "reduce end-to-end latency for positioning and configuration, improve positioning accuracy, reduce overhead for configuration" (Rao, ¶0083). Additionally, it would be obvious to combine the teachings of Rao with those of Si, Munier, and Yerramalli as there is a reasonable expectation of success and because doing so merely combines prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results.
References Cited
Munier, Florent et al. (2024). Collision handling for positioning reference signals (US 2024/0243876 A1). Filed 2022-05-11.
Rao, Jaya et al. (2023). Handling positioning reference signals in wireless systems (US 2023/0283424 A1). Filed 2021-08-05.
Si, Ye et al. (2023). Measurement gap configuration request method and apparatus, terminal, and network-side device (US 2023/0156656 A1). Filed 2023-01-06.
Yerramalli, Srinivas et al. (2024). On-demand positioning reference signal scheduling (US 2024/0172169 A1). Filed 2022-04-12.
Other Pertinent References
The following prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure:
Bao, Jingchao et al. (2023). Dynamic measurement gap control (US 20230318781 A1). Filed 2021-07-13.
Bao, Jingchao et al. (2024). On-demand positioning reference signal selection for double difference positioning schemes (US 20240089894 A1). Filed 2022-03-17.
Chen, Jingjing (2024). Measurement method, device and storage medium (US 20240056860 A1). Filed 2021-12-14.
Cui, Jie et al. (2024). Methods and apparatus for measurement gap activation and deactivation for positioning measurement (US 20240397395 A1). Filed 2024-08-01.
Huang, Rui et al. (2024). Enhanced wireless device measurement gap pre-configuration, activation, and concurrency (US 20240147288 A1). Filed 2022-03-31.
Keating, Ryan et al. (2024). Methods and devices for switching between measurement gap and measurement gap-less reception of positioning reference signals (US 20240334228 A1). Filed 2021-08-04.
Manolakos, Alexandros et al. (2022). Selective cancellation of on-demand positioning reference signal (prs) occasions (US 20220029763 A1). Filed 2021-07-13.
Manolakos, Alexandros et al. (2024). Request of no-downlink-scheduling gaps and sounding reference signal (srs) positioning transmission for prioritized and efficient positioning reference signal (prs) processing (US 11910392 B2). Filed 2021-07-13.
Si, Ye et al. (2022). Method for configuring prs resource, method for configuring measurement gap, and related device (US 20220050163 A1). Filed 2021-10-27.
Siomina, Iana et al. (2021). Managing parallel measurement gap patterns for radio resource management and positioning measurements (US 20210120513 A1). Filed 2019-02-25.
Wang, Yuanyuan et al. (2022). Positioning method, terminal, and network device (US 20220357418 A1). Filed 2022-07-20.
Wang, Yuanyuan et al. (2023). Positioning method, terminal, and network-side device (US 20230254811 A1). Filed 2023-04-14.
Wang, Yuanyuan et al. (2023). Positioning measurement method and apparatus, device and readable storage medium (US 20230328684 A1). Filed 2023-06-13.
Wang, Yuanyuan et al. (2023). Positioning method, terminal, and network side device (US 20230254809 A1). Filed 2023-04-14.
Yerramalli, Srinivas et al. (2023). Dynamic configuration of measurement gaps (US 20230362699 A1). Filed 2021-06-29.
Yi, Yunjung et al. (2018). Method of receiving control information for receiving discovery reference signal and apparatus thereof (US 10080218 B2). Filed 2015-03-04.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/SAMUEL H. LEONARD/Examiner, Art Unit 2649 /YUWEN PAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2649
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