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 statement (IDS) submitted on 08/04/2026 has been considered by the examiner.
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s remarks have been given full consideration, as such this Office Action has been modified in view of Amendments filed on 06/29/2026.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed "REMARKS" on 06/29/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to independent claims 1, 13, and 16 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1, 6, 13, 15-16, 18-20 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over OHLSSON et al. (US 2021/0385727 A1, hereinafter Ohlsson) in view of Ji et al. (US 2014/0128058 A1, hereinafter Ji) further in view of LIBERG et al. (US 2022/0417889 A1, hereinafter Liberg).
Regarding claim 1, Ohlsson teaches a method for updating location information ([0073] describes a method where a radio network area (RNA) update is required for a UE to use gNB resources, and updating said RNA may include updating UE location information via GPS as described in [0172] to ensure the UE is within the cell area), performed by a terminal device, comprising: receiving indication information of a network device, wherein the indication information indicates an operation of the terminal device to acquire the location information ([Figure 7] and [0073] FIG. 7 describes a situation where the UE resumes the connection in a cell by a sending an RRC resume request message, wherein the TARGET gNB must retrieve UE information from the SOURCE gNB, where UE information is originally derived from the UE itself, the UE context information may include an RNA update as described in [0078], and the RNA update requires the location update of the UE, as described in [0003]), acquiring new location information by the terminal device by performing- -based on the indication information, and updating the location information (referring to FIG. 7, UE context may be required for the cell RRC resume request, and the UE context information may include an RNA update as described in [0078], and the RNA update requires the location update of the UE, as described in [0003], i.e. acquiring and updating the location information of the UE for the TARGET gNB).
Ohlsson is not relied on for the claim language -in response to determining that the location information is expired. However, Ji teaches [abstract] a method for reporting cell/event information and adjusting a cell mobility parameter, in association with re-establishing RRC connections with a cell by the terminal. Ji also teaches -in response to determining that the location information is expired ([Figure 3, S303] and [0070] S303. If the TTT set for cell 1 expires, that is, signal quality of cell 1 meets the preset signal quality threshold within the TTT, the terminal updates the event information corresponding to the cell identity of cell 1 to TTT timeout, and terminal reports a measurement report to the source base station, i.e. determining if location information regarding the UE has changed/expired by comparing signal strengths with thresholds).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Ohlsson to include expiring data, as taught by Ji, in order to improve [0053] the accuracy of the mobility parameter adjustment and the terminal handover efficiency, and enable the base station to control the cell RRC connections.
The combination of Ohlsson and Ji is not relied on for the claim language and the operation comprises measuring a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signal in a measurement gap; -measuring the GNSS signal in the measurement gap-, wherein the terminal device continues to maintain a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the network device in the measurement gap; receiving time-frequency resources configured by the network device for the terminal device to report GNSS positioning capability to the network device;- and using the time-frequency resources to report the GNSS positioning capability to the network device; wherein the GNSS positioning capability is used to indicate time required for the terminal device to measure the GNSS signal to determine the location information, the indication information is sent by the network device based on the GNSS positioning capability reported by the terminal device, and the measurement gap is a value specific to the terminal device; and the GNSS positioning capability is reported by the terminal device during a process of establishing the RRC connection with the network device, and/or the GNSS positioning capability is reported by the terminal device before the location information is expired. However, Liberg teaches [abstract] a method that includes communications between a wireless device and a network device. “The network node includes processing circuitry configured to receive measurement capability information of a wireless device where the measurement capability information indicates an ability to perform a global navigation satellite system, GNSS, measurement. The processing circuitry is further configured to determine a GNSS measurement gap configuration during which the wireless device is to perform at least one GNSS measurement during at least one GNSS measurement gap where the GNSS measurement gap configuration is based at least in part on the received measurement capability information, and indicate the GNSS measurement gap configuration to the wireless device.” Liberg also teaches and the operation comprises measuring a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signal in a measurement gap; -measuring the GNSS signal in the measurement gap- (FIG. 9 operation S138, and [0099] describes " wireless device 22 is to perform at least one GNSS measurement during at least one GNSS measurement gap where the GNSS measurement gap configuration is based at least in part on the received measurement capability information"), wherein the terminal device continues to maintain a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the network device in the measurement gap ([0105] states "performing the at least one GNSS measurement by the wireless device in the RRC state during the at least one measurement gap," i.e. maintaining the RRC connection during the measurement gap); receiving time-frequency resources configured by the network device for the terminal device to report GNSS positioning capability to the network device;- and using the time-frequency resources to report the GNSS positioning capability to the network device ([0028] describes "the at least one GNSS measurement is configured to allow the wireless device to acquire location information for correcting at least one of time and frequency references used for cellular radio communication," i.e. ability to receive resources based on time and frequency, wherein this information would be used to report GNSS positioning capability to the network device as described in FIG. 9 operation S136); wherein the GNSS positioning capability is used to indicate time required for the terminal device to measure the GNSS signal to determine the location information ([0028] states "the processing circuitry is further configured to receive a report indicating a time for the wireless device to perform the at least one GNSS measurement," i.e. a time requirement), the indication information is sent by the network device based on the GNSS positioning capability reported by the terminal device (FIG 9. operation S138, receiving indication information from the network device, based on the reported positioning capabilities of the terminal in operation S136), and the measurement gap is a value specific to the terminal device (FIG. 9 operation S140 and [0099] "(Block S140) the GNSS measurement gap configuration to the wireless device 22," i.e. the measurement gap would be a value specific to the terminal device); and the GNSS positioning capability is reported by the terminal device during a process of establishing the RRC connection with the network device (FIG. 10 operation S142, the wireless device is configured to be in an RRC connection state while receiving GNSS positioning capability/configuration information), and/or the GNSS positioning capability is reported by the terminal device before the location information is expired ([0028] describes a specific time may be required, wherein FIG. 9 operation S136 shows the terminal reporting capabilities to the network device/node).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Ohlsson and Ji to include GNSS capabilities in association with a measurement gap, as taught by Liberg, in order to improve [0023] support and/or provide GNSS measurements for a wireless device in radio resource control (RRC) Connected operation for e.g., facilitating continuous GNSS based time and frequency corrections in an NTN, and therefore [0018] allow a wireless device to estimate its geographical position.
Regarding claim 6, Ohlsson teaches the terminal device does not perform a downlink control monitoring, a downlink signal measurement, a downlink data reception and an uplink data transmission in the measurement gap ([0152] in an Internet of Things (IoT) scenario, a WD may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and/or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and/or measurements to another WD and/or a network node, i.e. a wireless device would perform downlink control monitoring/measurements instead of the BS/terminal device, and would therefore not perform the uplink data transmission).
Regarding claim 13, the claimed limitations of claim are rejected as the same reasons as set forth in claim 1.
Regarding claim 15, the combination of Ohlsson and Ji is not relied on for the claim language receiving the GNSS positioning capability reported by the terminal device before sending the indication information to the terminal device. However, Liberg teaches as such (see FIG. 9 operations S136 and S138, the GNSS positioning capability is reported by the terminal device (S136) prior to sending indication information to the terminal device (S138)).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Ohlsson and Ji to include GNSS capabilities in association with a measurement gap, as taught by Liberg, in order to improve [0023] support and/or provide GNSS measurements for a wireless device in radio resource control (RRC) Connected operation for e.g., facilitating continuous GNSS based time and frequency corrections in an NTN, and therefore [0018] allow a wireless device to estimate its geographical position.
Regarding claim 16, the claimed limitations of claim are rejected as the same reasons as set forth in claim 1.
Regarding claim 18, Ohlsson teaches a communication apparatus ([Figure 11, 1162/1190] Antenna(s) 1162 and Communication Interface4 1190), comprising a processor and a memory ([Figure 11, 1170 and 1180] Processing Circuitry 1170, Device Readable Medium 1180 read as memory), wherein the memory stores a computer program thereon, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program stored in the memory, to cause the apparatus to perform a method according to claim 1 ([0061] Embodiments further include a radio network node comprising processing circuitry and memory. The memory contains instructions executable by the processing circuitry whereby the radio network node is configured to perform any of the steps of any of the embodiments described within claim 1).
Clam 19 recites the similar claimed limitations as recited in claim 13, except claim 19 recites a communication apparatus, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a computer program thereon, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program stored in the memory- configured to perform the operations of claim 13. However, it is notoriously well known in the art to implement the method of claim 13 by a communication apparatus, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a computer program thereon, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program stored in the memory-. Thus, the claimed limitations of claim 19 are rejected as the same reasons as set forth in claim 13.
Regarding claim 20, Ohlsson teaches a communication apparatus ([Figure 11, 1111/1114] Antennas(s) 1111 and Communication Interface 1114), comprising: a processor and an interface circuit ([Figure 11, 1120 and 1114] Processing Circuitry 1120 coupled with interface 1114); wherein the interface circuit is configured to receive code instructions and sending the code instructions to the processor ([Figure 11, 1130] Device Readable Medium 1130, configured to receive code instructions via Antenna(s) 1111 for the processor 1120); the processor is configured to run the code instructions to perform a method according to claim 1 ([0056] Embodiments further include a wireless device comprising processing circuitry and memory. The memory contains instructions executable by the processing circuitry whereby the wireless device is configured to perform any of the steps of any of the embodiments described within claim 1).
Regarding claim 22, Ohlsson teaches a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, configured to store instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed, a method according to claim 1 ([Figure 11, 1130 and 1180] Device Readable Medium, which may be carriers such as non-transitory computer-readable mediums as described in [0013], configured to store instructions to perform any of the steps of any of the embodiments described within claim 1).
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MATTHEW JAMES DWYER whose telephone number is (571)272-5121. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 6 a.m. - 3 p.m. EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Yuwen Pan can be reached at (571) 272-7855. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MATTHEW JAMES DWYER/Examiner, Art Unit 2649
/GEORGE ENG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2699
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