Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/710,274

ENVIRONMENT CONSIDERATIONS FOR VEHICLE-TO-EVERYTHING (V2X) SIDELINK POSITIONING

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
May 15, 2024
Examiner
YANG, JAMES J
Art Unit
2686
Tech Center
2600 — Communications
Assignee
Qualcomm Incorporated
OA Round
3 (Non-Final)
57%
Grant Probability
Moderate
3-4
OA Rounds
3y 2m
To Grant
78%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 57% of resolved cases
57%
Career Allow Rate
409 granted / 720 resolved
-5.2% vs TC avg
Strong +22% interview lift
Without
With
+21.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 2m
Avg Prosecution
47 currently pending
Career history
767
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.6%
-36.4% vs TC avg
§103
56.7%
+16.7% vs TC avg
§102
13.1%
-26.9% vs TC avg
§112
20.0%
-20.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 720 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 . This Office Action is in response to Applicant’s amendment and request for continued examination filed 02/11/2026. Claims 1-16 and 18-30 are currently pending in this application. 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. Claims 1-10 and 25-29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ganesan et al. (WO-2021240478-A1) in view of Goyal et al. (WO-2021030583-A1), in view of Agrawal et al. (U.S. 2017/0272911 A1). Claim 1, Ganesan teaches: A method of wireless communication (Ganesan, Paragraph [0056]), comprising: receiving, at the first UE, at least one positioning assistance information message (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0072-0074] and [0076], The SL UE A 404 receives at least fifth communication 420, which includes assistance information for SL positioning and an eight communication 426, which includes a position report from SL UE B, C, and/or D 402.), the at least one positioning assistance information message including one or more environment parameters for each UE of one or more second UEs (Ganesan, Paragraph [0076], The eighth communication 426 includes a position report for SL UE B, C, and/or D 402, wherein the position report is equivalent to an environment parameter, i.e. position.), wherein the one or more environment parameters for the UE of the one or more second UEs indicate an environmental property associated with the UE (Ganesan, Paragraph [0076], The property associated with a position report is the position of each UE. The position includes absolute and/or relative positioning (see Ganesan, Paragraph [0112]).); and performing, at the first UE, a sidelink-related positioning operation based on the one or more environment parameters (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0072] and [0077], The transmission of the report for SL positioning is a sidelink-related positioning operation. Because the nineth communication 428 is performed after the step of the eighth communication 426, and because the tenth communication 430 is optional, it would have been obvious to oen of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of fifling, for the nineth communication 428 to be performed based, at least in part, on the reception of the either communication 426.). Ganesan does not specifically teach: Performed by a first user equipment (UE) in a sidelink positioning group, and environmental properties associated with the UE. Goyal teaches: A target wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) may be assigned one or more anchor WTRUs to form a group (Goyal, Paragraph [0117]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of filing, to modify the positioning method of Ganesan with the positioning method of Goyal, by simple substitution. Both methods solve the same problem of locating a device, i.e. a UE, therefore substituting the method in Ganesan with the method in Goyal would yield predictable results without undue experimentation. Ganesan in view of Goyal does not specifically teach: Environmental properties associated with the UE. Agrawal teaches: Environmental properties associated with the UE (Agrawal, Paragraph [0022], The term environmental context includes a plurality of different types of information, e.g. label, code, description, signal measurements, sensor measurements, which may be gathered by/associated with a UE.). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of roidnary skill in the art, at the time of filing, to modify the system of Ganesan in view of Goyal by integrating the teaching of environmental context, as taught by Agrawal. The motivation would be would be to assist UEs is in estimating locations more accurately (see Agrawal, Paragraphs [0002-0004]). Claim 2, Ganesan in view of Goyal in view of Agrawal further teaches: The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more environment parameters include: a UE density parameter indicating a number of UEs within the sidelink positioning group observed by the UE, a UE mobility parameter indicating a speed of the UEs within the sidelink positioning group observed by the UE (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0072-0074], The UE assistance information includes speed. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of filing, for assistance information for SL positioning to be indicative of a speed of the UE, e.g. if the determined positioning changes, it is indicative of the speed of the UE being greater than 0.), a UE acceleration parameter indicating a frequency with which the UEs within the sidelink positioning group observed by the UE change acceleration more than a threshold, a terrain type parameter indicating a type of terrain observed by the UE, an expected path parameter indicating a source address, a destination address, or both selected by the UE, or a path of motion of the UE, or any combination thereof. Claim 3, Ganesan in view of Goyal in view of Agrawal further teaches: The method of claim 2, wherein the UE density parameter has a value of: low, medium, high, or the number of the UEs within the sidelink positioning group (Ganesan, Paragraph [0072], The UE assistance information includes neighboring UEs. The Examiner notes that the limitations of claim 2 are presented in the alternative, so the UE density parameter is interpreted as optional.). Claim 4, Ganesan in view of Goyal in view of Agrawal further teaches: The method of claim 2, wherein the speed of the UEs within the sidelink positioning group comprises: an average speed, a median speed, a minimum speed, a maximum speed, or any combination thereof (Ganesan, Paragraph [0072], The UE assistance information includes speed. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art for the speed of the UE, at any point in time, to include a minimum speed, a maximum speed, or a median speed.). Claim 5, Ganesan in view of Goyal in view of Agrawal further teaches: The method of claim 2, wherein the terrain type parameter indicating the type of terrain observed by the UE indicates an expected vertical displacement, horizontal displacement, or both (Ganesan, Paragraph [0072], The UE assistance information includes heading information, which is functionally equivalent to horizontal displacement.). Claim 6, Ganesan in view of Goyal in view of Agrawal further teaches: The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one positioning assistance information message is received from a location server (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0072-0074], Communications 416-420 may be transmitted between SL UE A 404 and location server LMF 408, wherein a positioning assistance information message is interpreted as including communications that involve UE assistance information.). Claim 7, Ganesan in view of Goyal in view of Agrawal further teaches: The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one positioning assistance information message comprises or is included in one or more Long-Term Evolution (LTE) positioning procedure (LPP) messages (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0072-0074], The communications can be transmitted using an LPP protocol.). Claim 8, Ganesan in view of Goyal in view of Agrawal further teaches: The method of claim 1, wherein: the one or more second UEs comprise a plurality of second UEs (Ganesan, Fig. 4: 402, 404), the at least one positioning assistance information message comprises a plurality of positioning assistance information messages (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0072-0075], Each of the communications from/to the UEs A-D are functionally equivalent to positioning assistance information messages.), reception of the at least one positioning assistance information message comprises reception of the plurality of positioning assistance information messages (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0072-0075], Each of the communications from/to the UEs A-D are functionally equivalent to positioning assistance information messages.), and each positioning assistance information message of the plurality of positioning assistance information messages is received from one of the plurality of second UEs (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0072-0075] and [0077], Each of the communications from/to the UEs A-D are functionally equivalent to positioning assistance information messages.). Claim 9, Ganesan in view of Goyal in view of Agrawal further teaches: The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one positioning assistance information message is received in: a sidelink discovery request message, a sidelink discovery response message, a sidelink positioning request message, or a sidelink positioning response message (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0072-0074], The UE assistance information may be transmitted by the UE and/or the location server LMF 408 and/or in response to a request from location server LMF 408.). Claim 10, Ganesan in view of Goyal in view of Agrawal further teaches: The method of claim 1, wherein performing the sidelink-related positioning operation comprises: initiating a sidelink positioning session with at least one UE of the one or more second UEs based on the one or more environment parameters (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0072-0073], The location server LMF 408 transmits a request for SL positioning, and the SL UE A 404 transmits a response signal, effectively initiating a positioning session.); determining a type of positioning method for the sidelink positioning session based on the one or more environment parameters; determining transmission parameters for sidelink positioning reference signals based on the one or more environment parameters; determining a type of vehicle vision to use based on the one or more environment parameters; or any combination thereof. Claim 25, Ganesan teaches: A first user equipment (UE) (Ganesan, Fig. 1: 102, Paragraph [0040], The remote units 102 may include UEs.), comprising: one or more memories (Ganesan, Fig. 2: 204); one or more transceivers (Ganesan, Fig. 2: 210, 212, Paragraph [0053], The transmitter 210 and the receiver 212 may be part of a transceiver.); and one or more processors (Ganesan, Fig. 2: 202) communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers (Ganesan, Paragraph [0047]), the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, configured to: receive, at the first UE via the one or more transceivers (Ganesan, Paragraph [0052], The receiver 212 may receive sidelink assistance data (see also Ganesan, Paragraph [0117]).), at least one positioning assistance information message (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0072-0074] and [0076], The SL UE A 404 receives at least fifth communication 420, which includes assistance information for SL positioning and an eight communication 426, which includes a position report from SL UE B, C, and/or D 402.), the at least one positioning assistance information message including one or more environment parameters for each UE of one or more second UEs (Ganesan, Paragraph [0076], The eighth communication 426 includes a position report for SL UE B, C, and/or D 402, wherein the position report is equivalent to an environment parameter, i.e. position.), wherein the one or more environment parameters for the UE of the one or more second UEs indicate an environmental property associated with the UE (Ganesan, Paragraph [0076], The property associated with a position report is the position of each UE. The position includes absolute and/or relative positioning (see Ganesan, Paragraph [0112]).); and perform a sidelink-related positioning operation based on the one or more environment parameters (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0072] and [0077], The transmission of the report for SL positioning is a sidelink-related positioning operation. Because the nineth communication 428 is performed after the step of the eighth communication 426, and because the tenth communication 430 is optional, it would have been obvious to oen of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of fifling, for the nineth communication 428 to be performed based, at least in part, on the reception of the either communication 426.). Ganesan does not specifically teach: One or more second UEs in the sidelink positioning group, and environmental properties associated with the UE. Goyal teaches: A target wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) may be assigned one or more anchor WTRUs to form a group (Goyal, Paragraph [0117]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of filing, to modify the positioning method of Ganesan with the positioning method of Goyal, by simple substitution. Both methods solve the same problem of locating a device, i.e. a UE, therefore substituting the method in Ganesan with the method in Goyal would yield predictable results without undue experimentation. Ganesan in view of Goyal does not specifically teach: Environmental properties associated with the UE. Agrawal teaches: Environmental properties associated with the UE (Agrawal, Paragraph [0022], The term environmental context includes a plurality of different types of information, e.g. label, code, description, signal measurements, sensor measurements, which may be gathered by/associated with a UE.). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of roidnary skill in the art, at the time of filing, to modify the system of Ganesan in view of Goyal by integrating the teaching of environmental context, as taught by Agrawal. The motivation would be would be to assist UEs is in estimating locations more accurately (see Agrawal, Paragraphs [0002-0004]). Claim 26, Ganesan in view of Goyal in view of Agrawal further teaches: The first UE of claim 25, wherein the one or more environment parameters include: a UE density parameter indicating a number of UEs within the sidelink positioning group observed by the UE, a UE mobility parameter indicating a speed of the UEs within the sidelink positioning group observed by the UE (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0072-0074], The UE assistance information includes speed. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of filing, for assistance information for SL positioning to be indicative of a speed of the UE, e.g. if the determined positioning changes, it is indicative of the speed of the UE being greater than 0.), a UE acceleration parameter indicating a frequency with which the UEs within the sidelink positioning group observed by the UE change acceleration more than a threshold, a terrain type parameter indicating a type of terrain observed by the UE, an expected path parameter indicating a source address, a destination address, or both selected by the UE, or a path of motion of the UE, or any combination thereof. Claim 27, Ganesan in view of Goyal in view of Agrawal further teaches: The first UE of claim 25, wherein the at least one positioning assistance information message is received from a location server (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0072-0073], Communications 416 and 418 may be transmitted between SL UE A 404 and location server LMF 408, wherein a positioning assistance information message is interpreted as including communications that involve UE assistance information.). Claim 28, Ganesan in view of Goyal in view of Agrawal further teaches: The first UE of claim 25, wherein: the one or more second UEs comprise a plurality of second UEs (Ganesan, Fig. 4: 402, 404), the at least one positioning assistance information message comprises a plurality of positioning assistance information messages (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0072-0075], Each of the communications from/to the UEs A-D are functionally equivalent to positioning assistance information messages.), reception of the at least one positioning assistance information message comprises reception of the plurality of positioning assistance information messages (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0072-0075], Each of the communications from/to the UEs A-D are functionally equivalent to positioning assistance information messages.), and each positioning assistance information message of the plurality of positioning assistance information messages is received from one of the plurality of second UEs (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0072-0075] and [0077], Each of the communications from/to the UEs A-D are functionally equivalent to positioning assistance information messages.). Claim 29, Ganesan in view of Goyal in view of Agrawal further teaches: The first UE of claim 25, wherein the one or more processors configured to perform the sidelink-related positioning operation comprises the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, configured to: initiate a sidelink positioning session with at least one UE of the one or more second UEs based on the one or more environment parameters (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0072-0073], The location server LMF 408 transmits a request for SL positioning, and the SL UE A 404 transmits a response signal, effectively initiating a positioning session.); determine a type of positioning method for the sidelink positioning session based on the one or more environment parameters; determine transmission parameters for sidelink positioning reference signals based on the one or more environment parameters; determine a type of vehicle vision to use based on the one or more environment parameters; or any combination thereof. Claims 11-16, 18-24, and 30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ganesan et al. (WO-2021240478-A1) in view of Goyal et al. (WO-2021030583-A1). Claim 11, Ganesan teaches: A method of wireless communication performed by a network node (Ganesan, Paragraph [0056]), comprising: receiving, from a first user equipment (UE) of a plurality of UEs, one or more environment parameters for the first UE (Ganesan, Paragraph [0072], The UE assistance information includes onboard metrics, which are functionally equivalent to environment parameters. It is further noted that any data usable by a UE and/or the Location Server LMF for positioning purposes is interpreted as environment parameters.), wherein the one or more environment parameters indicate environmental properties associated with the first UE (Ganesan, Paragraph [0072], The UE assistance information includes onboard metrics of the UE A 404.); and transmitting at least one positioning assistance information message to at least a second UE of the plurality of UEs (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0075-0076], The SL UE A 404 or the Location Server LMF 408 can transmit signals to SL UE B, C, and/or D 402.), the at least one positioning assistance information message including at least the one or more environment parameters (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0075-0076], Transmitted data includes assistance information for SL positioning.). Ganesan does not specifically teach: A plurality of UEs in a sidelink positioning group. Goyal teaches: A target wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) may be assigned one or more anchor WTRUs to form a group (Goyal, Paragraph [0117]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of filing, to modify the positioning method of Ganesan with the positioning method of Goyal, by simple substitution. Both methods solve the same problem of locating a device, i.e. a UE, therefore substituting the method in Ganesan with the method in Goyal would yield predictable results without undue experimentation. Claim 12, Ganesan in view of Goyal further teaches: The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more environment parameters include: a UE density parameter indicating a number of UEs within the sidelink positioning group observed by the first UE, a UE mobility parameter indicating a speed of the UEs within the sidelink positioning group observed by the first UE (Ganesan, Paragraph [0072], The UE assistance information includes speed.), a UE acceleration parameter indicating a frequency with which the UEs within the sidelink positioning group observed by the first UE change acceleration more than a threshold, a terrain type parameter indicating a type of terrain observed by the first UE, an expected path parameter indicating a source address, a destination address, or both selected by the first UE, or a path of motion of the first UE, or any combination thereof. Claim 13, Ganesan in view of Goyal further teaches: The method of claim 12, wherein the UE density parameter has a value of: low, medium, high, or the number of the UEs within the sidelink positioning group (Ganesan, Paragraph [0072], The UE assistance information includes neighboring UEs. The Examiner notes that the limitations of claim 12 are presented in the alternative, so the UE density parameter is interpreted as optional.). Claim 14, Ganesan in view of Goyal further teaches: The method of claim 12, wherein the speed of the UEs within the sidelink positioning group comprises: an average speed, a median speed, a minimum speed, a maximum speed, or any combination thereof (Ganesan, Paragraph [0072], The UE assistance information includes speed. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art for the speed of the UE, at any point in time, to include a minimum speed, a maximum speed, or a median speed.). Claim 15, Ganesan in view of Goyal further teaches: The method of claim 12, wherein the terrain type parameter indicating the type of terrain observed by the first UE indicates an expected vertical displacement, horizontal displacement, or both (Ganesan, Paragraph [0072], The UE assistance information includes heading information, which is functionally equivalent to horizontal displacement.). Claim 16, Ganesan in view of Goyal further teaches: The method of claim 11, wherein the network node is a location server (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0072-0074], Communications 416-420 may be transmitted between SL UE A 404 and location server LMF 408, wherein a positioning assistance information message is interpreted as including communications that involve UE assistance information.). Claim 18, Ganesan in view of Goyal further teaches: The method of claim 11, wherein receiving the one or more environment parameters comprises: receiving the one or more environment parameters from each of the plurality of UEs (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0072] and [0075-0077], The UE assistance information may be received from any of the UEs A-D.). Claim 19, Ganesan in view of Goyal further teaches: The method of claim 11, wherein: the one or more environment parameters are received from the first UE via Long-Term Evolution (LTE) positioning procedure (LPP), and the at least one positioning assistance information message is transmitted to at least the second UE via LPP (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0072-0075], The communications between the UEs and the location server LMF 408 may be done using LPP protocol.). Claim 20, Ganesan in view of Goyal further teaches: The method of claim 11, wherein the network node is the first UE (Ganesan, Fig. 4: 402, 404, Paragraphs [0072-0075], The UEs are functionally equivalent to a network node.). Claim 21, Ganesan in view of Goyal further teaches: The method of claim 20, wherein determining the one or more environment parameters comprises: measuring the one or more environment parameters (Ganesan, Paragraph [0072], The UE assistance information includes onboard metrics measured by an onboard device.). Claim 22, Ganesan in view of Goyal further teaches: The method of claim 20, wherein the at least one positioning assistance information message is transmitted in: a sidelink discovery request message, a sidelink discovery response message, a sidelink positioning request message, or a sidelink positioning response message (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0072-0074], The UE assistance information may be transmitted by the UE and/or the location server LMF 408 and/or in response to a request from location server LMF 408.). Claim 23, Ganesan in view of Goyal further teaches: The method of claim 20, further comprising: receiving at least one second positioning assistance information message, the at least one second positioning assistance information message including one or more second environment parameters for each UE of the plurality of UEs in the sidelink positioning group other than the first UE (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0072-0077], Each of the UEs is capable of transmitting UE assistance information, wherein each of the UEs other than a “first” UE is a UE “other than the first UE”.). Claim 24, Ganesan in view of Goyal further teaches: The method of claim 23, wherein: the at least one second positioning assistance information message comprises a plurality of positioning assistance information messages (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0072-0075], Each of the communications from/to the UEs A-D are functionally equivalent to positioning assistance information messages.), reception of the at least one second positioning assistance information message comprises reception of the plurality of positioning assistance information messages (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0072-0075], Each of the communications from/to the UEs A-D are functionally equivalent to positioning assistance information messages.), and each positioning assistance information message of the plurality of positioning assistance information messages is received from one of the plurality of second UEs other than the first UE (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0072-0075] and [0077], Each of the communications from/to the UEs A-D are functionally equivalent to positioning assistance information messages.). Claim 30, Goyal teaches: A network node (Goyal, Fig. 3: 104), comprising: one or more memories (Goyal, Fig. 3: 304); one or more transceivers (Goyal, Fig. 3: 310, 312, Paragraph [0054], The transmitter 310 and receiver 312 are substantially similar to the transmitter 210 and receiver 212 of remote unit 102, which may be part of a transceiver (see Goyal, Paragraph [0053]). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of filing, for the transmitter 310 and receiver 312 to also be part of a transceiver.); and one or more processors (Goyal, Fig. 3: 302) communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers (Goyal, Paragraph [0054], The processor 302 is substantially similar to the processor 202 of remote unit 102, which is communicatively coupled to the memory 204, the input device 206, the display 208, the transmitter 210, and the receiver 212 (see Goyal, Paragraph [0047]). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of filing, for the processor 302 to also be communicatively coupled to the memory 304, input device 306, display 308, transmitter 310, and receiver 312.), the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, from a first user equipment (UE) of a plurality of UEs, one or more environment parameters for the first UE (Ganesan, Paragraph [0072], The UE assistance information includes onboard metrics, which are functionally equivalent to environment parameters. It is further noted that any data usable by a UE and/or the Location Server LMF for positioning purposes is interpreted as environment parameters.), wherein the one or more environment parameters indicate environmental properties associated with the first UE (Ganesan, Paragraph [0072], The UE assistance information includes onboard metrics of the UE A 404.); and transmit, via the at least one transceiver, at least one positioning assistance information message to at least a second UE of the plurality of UEs (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0075-0076], The SL UE A 404 or the Location Server LMF 408 can transmit signals to SL UE B, C, and/or D 402.), the at least one positioning assistance information message including at least the one or more environment parameters (Ganesan, Paragraphs [0075-0076], Transmitted data includes assistance information for SL positioning.). Ganesan does not specifically teach: A plurality of UEs in a sidelink positioning group. Goyal teaches: A target wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) may be assigned one or more anchor WTRUs to form a group (Goyal, Paragraph [0117]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of filing, to modify the positioning method of Ganesan with the positioning method of Goyal, by simple substitution. Both methods solve the same problem of locating a device, i.e. a UE, therefore substituting the method in Ganesan with the method in Goyal would yield predictable results without undue experimentation. Ganesan does not specifically teach: A plurality of UEs in a sidelink positioning group. Goyal teaches: A target wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) may be assigned one or more anchor WTRUs to form a group (Goyal, Paragraph [0117]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of filing, to modify the positioning method of Ganesan with the positioning method of Goyal, by simple substitution. Both methods solve the same problem of locating a device, i.e. a UE, therefore substituting the method in Ganesan with the method in Goyal would yield predictable results without undue experimentation. Response to Arguments Applicant's arguments filed 02/11/2026 have been fully considered but they are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection for claims 1-10 and 25-29, and a new interpretation of the grounds of rejection for claims 11-16, 18-24, and 30, necessitated by the Applicant’s amendments. Because the limitations of claims 1-10 and 25-29 differ from claims 11-16, 18-24, and 30, i.e. claims 11-16, 18-24, and 30 require a network node instead of a UE receiving signals, the claims require different interpretations in light of the prior art of record. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES J YANG whose telephone number is (571)270-5170. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30am-6:00p M-F. 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, BRIAN ZIMMERMAN can be reached at (571) 272-3059. 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. /JAMES J YANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2686
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Prosecution Timeline

May 15, 2024
Application Filed
Aug 06, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §103
Nov 06, 2025
Response Filed
Nov 19, 2025
Final Rejection — §103
Jan 16, 2026
Interview Requested
Jan 29, 2026
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
Jan 29, 2026
Examiner Interview Summary
Feb 11, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Feb 24, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Mar 12, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §103 (current)

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3-4
Expected OA Rounds
57%
Grant Probability
78%
With Interview (+21.5%)
3y 2m
Median Time to Grant
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