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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 12-18 and 26-30 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species II, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 07/20/2026.
Applicant’s election without traverse of species I (claims 1-11 and 19-25) in the reply filed on 07/20/2026 is acknowledged.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements submitted on 05/28/2024, 03/06/2026, 07/20/2026 and 08/14/2026 have been considered by the Examiner and made of record in the application file.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3 and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a) (1) as being anticipated by LI (US 2023/0296721 A1, hereinafter Li).
Regarding claim 1, Li discloses, a method of coordinating hybrid New Radio (NR)/ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning sessions for a mobile device (see e.g., “the first-type positioning node and the second-type positioning node, respectively, communicate with the terminal by using different wireless access technologies”, Fig. 1, [0047] and/or “the first-type positioning nodes may also be gNB in a NR system, or components or part of device constituting base stations”, [0043] and/or “the first-type positioning nodes include wireless network device communicating based on a cellular network. The second-type positioning nodes include one or more of a wireless local area network device, Bluetooth device and ultra-wideband positioning device”, Fig. 1, [0048] and/or “an apparatus 300 used for positioning measurement, which is shown according to an example; For example, the apparatus 300 may be a mobile phone”, [0217]), the method comprising:
receiving, at the mobile device, a UWB positioning session configuration message from each of one or more UWB anchor devices (see e.g., “the second configuration information may be combined with the first positioning signal transmitted between the terminal and the first-type positioning node and the second positioning signal transmitted between the terminal and the second-type positioning node for combined positioning measurement”, [0055]);
determining, at the mobile device, to perform hybrid NR/UWB positioning of the mobile device (see e.g., “the positioning signal may be transmitted and/or received based on the first configuration information and the second configuration, so that the first-type positioning node and the second-type positioning node are combined for positioning measurement”, [0152] and/or “…the second positioning signal transmitted between the terminal and the second-type positioning node for combined positioning measurement”, [0055]); and
initiating, with the mobile device, the hybrid NR/UWB positioning of the mobile device (see e.g., “the first configuration information and the second configuration information may be combined with the first positioning signal transmitted between the terminal and the first-type positioning node and the second positioning signal transmitted between the terminal and the second-type positioning node for combined positioning measurement”, [0055]), wherein initiating the hybrid NR/UWB positioning of the mobile device comprises:
conducting an NR positioning session with a Location Management Function (LMF) of a NR network (see e.g., “In step S21…The first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal to receive a first positioning signal for performing positioning measurement with the first-type positioning node. The first configuration information includes the position information of the first-type positioning node”, Fig. 3, [0070-0071] and/or “In step S22, the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal are received and measured based on the first configuration information and the second configuration information, and the first measurement result and the second measurement result are determined.”, [0073] and/or “In step S23, the position of the terminal is calculated and determined based on the first measurement result, the second measurement result, the position information of the first-type positioning nodes, and the position information of the second-type positioning nodes”, [0074]); and
conducting a UWB positioning session with each of at least a subset of the one or more UWB anchor devices (see e.g., “In step S21…The second configuration information is used to instruct the terminal to receive a second positioning signal for performing positioning measurement with the second-type positioning node. The second configuration information includes the position information of the second-type positioning node”, Fig. 3, [0070-0071] and/or “In step S22, the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal are received and measured based on the first configuration information and the second configuration information, and the first measurement result and the second measurement result are determined.”, [0073] and/or “In step S23, the position of the terminal is calculated and determined based on the first measurement result, the second measurement result, the position information of the first-type positioning nodes, and the position information of the second-type positioning nodes”, [0074]).
Regarding claim 2, Li discloses, wherein conducting the NR positioning session comprises sending one or more parameters for the NR positioning session to the LMF (see e.g., “the terminal reports the first measurement result and the second measurement result to the base station or the LMF”, [0167] and/or “the WLAN may directly feed the terminal position information back to LMF and/or the base station through the interface between the WLAN and the base station and/or the LMF”, [0161]), and wherein the one or more parameters are based, at least in part, on the UWB positioning session with each of at least the subset of the one or more UWB anchor devices (see e.g. “The second configuration information is used to configure the transmission and measurement of a second positioning signal (a beacon of WLAN) between the terminal and the WLAN terminal (which may be N WLAN terminals)”, [0170] and/or “The information that is sent to the LMF and/or the base station together with the terminal position information may further include a value of the time T, and/or the second configuration information”, [0161]).
Regarding claim 3, Li discloses, wherein the one or more parameters comprise a timing of transmission of one or more NR positioning signals used in the NR positioning session (see e.g. “The information that is sent to the LMF and/or the base station together with the terminal position information may further include a value of the time T, and/or the second configuration information”, [0161] and/or “The information that is sent to the LMF and/or the base station together with the terminal position information may further include a value of the time T, and/or the second configuration information”, [0174] and/or “The terminal position information sent by the second-type positioning node may be a terminal position within a specified time T obtained by the positioning of the second-type positioning node”, [0092]).
Regarding claim 19, Li discloses, a mobile device for coordinating hybrid New Radio (NR)/ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning sessions for a mobile device (see e.g., Fig. 13, Apparatus 300, and/or “an apparatus 300 used for positioning measurement, which is shown according to an example; For example, the apparatus 300 may be a mobile phone”, [0217] and/or “the first-type positioning node and the second-type positioning node, respectively, communicate with the terminal by using different wireless access technologies”, Fig. 1, [0047] and/or “the first-type positioning nodes may also be gNB in a NR system, or components or part of device constituting base stations”, [0043] and/or “the first-type positioning nodes include wireless network device communicating based on a cellular network. The second-type positioning nodes include one or more of a wireless local area network device, Bluetooth device and ultra-wideband positioning device”, Fig. 1, [0048]), the mobile device comprising:
a transceiver (see e.g., Fig. 13, communication component 316);
a memory (see e.g., Fig. 13, memory 304); and
one or more processors communicatively coupled with the transceiver and the memory (see e.g., Fig. 13, processing component 302), wherein the one or more processors are configured to:
receive, via the transceiver, a UWB positioning session configuration message from each of one or more UWB anchor devices (see e.g., “the second configuration information may be combined with the first positioning signal transmitted between the terminal and the first-type positioning node and the second positioning signal transmitted between the terminal and the second-type positioning node for combined positioning measurement”, [0055]);
determine to perform hybrid NR/UWB positioning of the mobile device (see e.g., “the positioning signal may be transmitted and/or received based on the first configuration information and the second configuration, so that the first-type positioning node and the second-type positioning node are combined for positioning measurement”, [0152] and/or “…the second positioning signal transmitted between the terminal and the second-type positioning node for combined positioning measurement”, [0055]); and
initiating, with the mobile device, the hybrid NR/UWB positioning of the mobile device (see e.g., “the first configuration information and the second configuration information may be combined with the first positioning signal transmitted between the terminal and the first-type positioning node and the second positioning signal transmitted between the terminal and the second-type positioning node for combined positioning measurement”, [0055]), wherein, to initiate the hybrid NR/UWB positioning of the mobile device, the one or more processors are configured to:
conduct an NR positioning session with a Location Management Function (LMF) of a NR network (see e.g., “In step S21…The first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal to receive a first positioning signal for performing positioning measurement with the first-type positioning node. The first configuration information includes the position information of the first-type positioning node”, Fig. 3, [0070-0071] and/or “In step S22, the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal are received and measured based on the first configuration information and the second configuration information, and the first measurement result and the second measurement result are determined.”, [0073] and/or “In step S23, the position of the terminal is calculated and determined based on the first measurement result, the second measurement result, the position information of the first-type positioning nodes, and the position information of the second-type positioning nodes”, [0074]); and
conduct a UWB positioning session with each of at least a subset of the one or more UWB anchor devices (see e.g., “In step S21…The second configuration information is used to instruct the terminal to receive a second positioning signal for performing positioning measurement with the second-type positioning node. The second configuration information includes the position information of the second-type positioning node”, Fig. 3, [0070-0071] and/or “In step S22, the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal are received and measured based on the first configuration information and the second configuration information, and the first measurement result and the second measurement result are determined.”, [0073] and/or “In step S23, the position of the terminal is calculated and determined based on the first measurement result, the second measurement result, the position information of the first-type positioning nodes, and the position information of the second-type positioning nodes”, [0074]).
Regarding claim 20, Li discloses, wherein, to conduct the NR positioning session, the one or more processors are configured to send one or more parameters for the NR positioning session to the LMF (see e.g., “the terminal reports the first measurement result and the second measurement result to the base station or the LMF”, [0167] and/or “the WLAN may directly feed the terminal position information back to LMF and/or the base station through the interface between the WLAN and the base station and/or the LMF”, [0161]), and wherein the one or more processors are configured to base the one or more parameters, at least in part, on the UWB positioning session with each of at least the subset of the one or more UWB anchor devices (see e.g. “The second configuration information is used to configure the transmission and measurement of a second positioning signal (a beacon of WLAN) between the terminal and the WLAN terminal (which may be N WLAN terminals)”, [0170] and/or “The information that is sent to the LMF and/or the base station together with the terminal position information may further include a value of the time T, and/or the second configuration information”, [0161]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 6, 7, 11, 21, 22, 23 and 25 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.
As to claim 4, the prior arts fail to teach, wherein conducting the UWB positioning session with each of at least the subset of the one or more UWB anchor devices comprises sending one or more parameters to each of at least the subset of the one or more UWB anchor devices, and wherein the one or more parameters are based, at least in part, on the NR positioning session.
As to claim 10, the prior arts fail to teach, wherein determining to perform the hybrid NR/UWB positioning of the mobile device is based at least in part on the mobile device determining: spoofing is occurring over an NR connection of the mobile device, a position accuracy requirement related to the positioning of the mobile device comprises an accuracy above a threshold value, a power requirement related to the positioning of the mobile device is below a threshold value, the positioning of the mobile device includes a precision requirement, the positioning of the mobile device includes a latency requirement, or a combination thereof.
As to claim 7, the prior arts fail to teach, wherein initiating the hybrid NR/UWB positioning of the mobile device comprises sending a server UWB session setup information, from the mobile device, to initiate the UWB positioning session with each of the at least the subset of the one or more UWB anchor devices.
As to claim 11, the prior arts fail to teach, wherein initiating the hybrid NR/UWB positioning of the mobile device comprises: sending the LMF a request for setup information for the hybrid NR/UWB positioning of the mobile device; and
receiving, from the LMF, a list of preferred devices with which to conduct the NR positioning session and the UWB positioning session;
wherein each UWB anchor device of the at least the subset of the one or more UWB anchor devices is included on the list of preferred devices.
As to claim 21, the prior arts fail to teach, wherein, to conduct the UWB positioning session with each of at least the subset of the one or more UWB anchor devices, the one or more processors are configured to send one or more parameters to each of at least the subset of the one or more UWB anchor devices, and
wherein the one or more processors are configured to base the one or more parameters, at least in part, on the NR positioning session.
As to claim 22, the prior arts fail to teach, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine to perform the hybrid NR/UWB positioning of the mobile device based at least in part on a determination that: spoofing is occurring over an NR connection of the mobile device, a position accuracy requirement related to the positioning of the mobile device comprises an accuracy above a threshold value, a power requirement related to the positioning of the mobile device is below a threshold value, the positioning of the mobile device includes a precision requirement, the positioning of the mobile device includes a latency requirement, or a combination thereof.
As to claim 23, the prior arts fail to teach, wherein, to initiate the hybrid NR/UWB positioning of the mobile device, the one or more processors are configured to send a server UWB session setup information, via the transceiver, to initiate the UWB positioning session with each of the at least the subset of the one or more UWB anchor devices.
As to claim 25, the prior arts fail to teach, wherein, to initiate the hybrid NR/UWB positioning of the mobile device, the one or more processors are configured to: send the LMF a request for setup information for the hybrid NR/UWB positioning of the mobile device; and receive, from the LMF, a list of preferred devices with which to conduct the NR positioning session and the UWB positioning session; wherein each UWB anchor device of the at least the subset of the one or more UWB anchor devices is included on the list of preferred devices.
Claims 5, 8-10 and 24 are also objected as being dependent on objected claims 4, 7 and 23 respectably.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FARID SEYEDVOSOGHI whose telephone number is (571)272-9679. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 8:00-5:00.
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/FARID SEYEDVOSOGHI/ Examiner, Art Unit 2645
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