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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-16, 21-23, 28-47, 52-54, and 59-94 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Cha et al., US Patent Application Publication Number 2022/0390546 (hereinafter Cha).
Regarding independent claims 1 and 32, Cha discloses a method for supporting positioning of a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network [paragraph 0038] comprising: receiving, by an antenna system of a device, one or more reference signals from a second device, wherein the antenna system includes a plurality of antenna components [paragraphs 0008, 0040]; for one or more subsets of antenna components from the plurality of antenna components, calculating, by a processing system of the device, one or more positioning measurements based on the one or more reference signals from the second device [paragraph 0048], wherein: each of the one or more subsets of antenna components are associated with a bias in calculating the one or more positioning measurements [paragraph 0014]; and each of the one or more subsets of antenna components are included in an angle error group (AEG) of one or more AEGs [paragraph 0040]; generating, by the processing system, an AEG report, wherein the AEG report is associated with the one or more positioning measurements calculated by the device [paragraph 0049]; and reporting the AEG report to another device in the wireless network [paragraph 0049].
Regarding independent claims 63 and 79, Cha discloses a method for supporting positioning of a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network [paragraph 0038] comprising: receiving an angle error group (AEG) report generated by a device in the wireless network [paragraph 0049], wherein the AEG report includes: a plurality of positioning measurements calculated by the device, wherein each positioning measurement is associated with an AEG of the device including one or more subsets of antenna components of the device [paragraphs 0040, 0049]; and a plurality of AEG identifiers (IDs), wherein each AEG ID of the plurality of AEG IDs corresponds to a positioning measurement of the plurality of positioning measurements [paragraphs 0047-0048]; and identifying a positioning measurement in the AEG report based on the plurality of AEG IDs in the AEG report, wherein the identified positioning measurement is to be used for estimating a position of the UE [paragraph 0040].
Regarding claims 2 and 33, Cha discloses wherein a first subset of antenna components associated with a first bias and a second subset of antenna components associated with a second bias are included in a same AEG when the first bias equals the second bias [paragraph 0014].
Regarding claims 3 and 34, Cha discloses wherein the antenna system includes: an antenna array, wherein the plurality of antenna components includes a plurality of subarrays of the antenna array [paragraphs 0041, 0043].
Regarding claims 4 and 35, Cha discloses wherein the antenna system includes: a plurality of antennas, wherein the plurality of antenna components includes the plurality of antennas [paragraph 0041].
Regarding claims 5, 36, 64, and 60, Cha discloses wherein the one or more positioning measurements based on the one or more reference signals include one or more of: an angle of arrival (AoA) of the one or more reference signals at the device; or a zenith of arrival (ZoA) of the one or more reference signals at the device [paragraph 0038].
Regarding claims 6 and 37, Cha discloses wherein the AEG report includes the one or more positioning measurements calculated by the device [paragraph 0049].
Regarding claims 7 and 38, Cha discloses wherein each positioning measurement in the AEG report is associated with an AEG identifier (ID), wherein each AEG ID is associated with an AEG [paragraph 0040, 0048].
Regarding claims 8 and 39, Cha discloses wherein: a first positioning measurement calculated based on a first reference signal received at a first time by a first subset of antenna components is associated with a first AEG ID [paragraphs 0048, 0050]; and a second positioning measurement calculated based on a second reference signal received at a second time by a second subset of antenna components is associated with a second AEG ID [paragraphs 0048, 0050].
Regarding claims 9 and 40, Cha discloses wherein the first AEG ID differs from the second AEG ID based on one or more of: the first reference signal differing from the second reference signal; the first time differing from the second time; or the first subset of antenna components differing from the second subset of antenna components [paragraphs 0047-0048].
Regarding claims 10 and 41, Cha discloses wherein the AEG report includes each AEG ID associated with each of the one or more positioning measurements in the AEG report [paragraph 0049].
Regarding claims 11 and 42, Cha discloses wherein the AEG report including each AEG ID is based on the AEG report including more than one positioning measurement [paragraph 0049].
Regarding claims 12 and 43, it is inherent in the art that the AEG report does not include the AEG ID associated with a positioning measurement when the AEG report includes only one positioning measurement.
Regarding claims 13 and 44, Cha discloses wherein: the AEG report includes a plurality of positioning measurements calculated for a plurality of subsets of antenna components of the device [paragraph 0049]; and the AEG report does not include an AEG ID for each of the plurality of positioning measurements based on the plurality of positioning measurements being the same [inherent feature].
Regarding claims 14 and 45, Cha discloses wherein the AEG report includes, for each positioning measurement, a timestamp of the reference signal used to calculate the positioning measurement in the AEG report [paragraph 0050].
Regarding claims 15, 46, 77, and 93, Cha discloses wherein reporting the AEG report includes transmitting a main measurement report to a location server in the wireless network, wherein the main measurement report includes at least a portion of the AEG report [paragraph 0049].
Regarding claims 16, 47, 78, and 94, Cha discloses wherein reporting the AEG report includes transmitting one or more secondary measurement reports in addition to a main measurement report to a location server in the wireless network, wherein the one or more secondary measurement reports include at least a portion of the AEG report [paragraph 0049].
Regarding claims 21, 52, 75, and 91, Cha discloses receiving a request from a location server as to whether the device supports multiple AEGs; and providing a response indicating whether the device supports multiple AEGs [paragraph 0049].
Regarding claims 22, 53, 76, and 92, Cha discloses the request includes a request as to number of AEGs that the device supports; and the response indicates the number of AEGs supported by the device [paragraphs 0049].
Regarding claims 23 and 54, Cha discloses identifying the one or more AEGs, wherein an AEG of the one or more AEGs includes at least one subset of antenna components from the plurality of antenna components associated with a same bias in calculating positioning measurements [paragraph 0064].
Regarding claims 28 and 59, Cha discloses the device is a base station; the second device is the UE; and the one or more reference signals are one or more sounding reference signals (SRSs) [paragraph 0040].
Regarding claims 29 and 60, Cha discloses wherein the base station is a gNodeB (gNB) [paragraphs 0040].
Regarding claims 30 and 61, Cha discloses the device is the UE; the second device is a base station; and the one or more reference signals are one or more positioning reference signals (PRSs) [paragraphs 0040, 0045].
Regarding claims 31 and 62, Cha discloses wherein the base station is a gNodeB (gNB) [paragraphs 0040, 0045].
Regarding claims 65 and 81, Cha discloses the reference signal is from a second device; and estimating a position of the UE includes using the identified positioning measurement to calculate a location of the UE in the wireless network [paragraph 0049].
Regarding claims 66 and 82, Cha discloses the device is a base station; the second device is the UE; and the reference signal is a sounding reference signal (SRS) [paragraph 0040].
Regarding claims 67 and 83, Cha discloses wherein the device is a gNodeB (gNB) [paragraph 0040].
Regarding claims 68 and 84, Cha discloses the device is the UE; the second device is a base station; and the reference signal is a positioning reference signal (PRS) [paragraphs 0040, 0045].
Regarding claims 69 and 85, Cha discloses wherein the second device is a gNodeB (gNB) [paragraphs 0040, 0045].
Regarding claims 70 and 86, Cha discloses wherein identifying the positioning measurement includes identifying the most accurate positioning measurement from the plurality of positioning measurements in the AEG report [paragraph 0053].
Regarding claims 71 and 87, Cha discloses wherein identifying the most accurate positioning measurement is based on a machine learning engine trained using previous AEG reports associated with the device [paragraph 0058].
Regarding claims 72 and 88, Cha discloses identifying the AEG ID corresponding to the identified positioning measurement [paragraphs 0055-0056]; and providing the AEG ID in an indication to the device, wherein the device is to use the AEG associated with the AEG ID in the indication for calculating one or more positioning measurements for estimating a position of the UE [paragraphs 0055-0056].
Regarding claims 73 and 89, Cha discloses wherein an AEG report corresponding to the UE is to be generated by the device in response to receiving the indication [paragraph 0057].
Regarding claims 74 and 90, Cha discloses wherein the indication to the device includes an indication of time associated with a reference signal to be used in calculating a positioning measurement to be included in the AEG report corresponding to the UE [paragraph 0059].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 17-20, 24-27, 48-51, 55-58 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Petersson et al., US Patent Application Publication Number 2018/0337739, disclose angle of arrival estimation in a radio communications network.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERIKA WASHINGTON whose telephone number is (571)272-7841. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday.
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, Kathy Wang-Hurst can be reached at 571-270-5371. 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.
/EAW/
June 9, 2026
/ERIKA A WASHINGTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2644
Prosecution Insights