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 § 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.
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1. Claims 1–15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Khoryaev et al. (US 2024/0292378 A1) in view of Robert Bosch GmbH (3GPP TDoc RP-213334).
Khoryaev is Reference A. Khoryaev teaches inter-UE coordination feedback, including preferred and non-preferred sidelink resources and already-occurred and potential future conflicts. Khoryaev does not expressly teach applying that coordination feedback to sidelink-positioning reference signal scheduling. Bosch is Reference B. Bosch teaches SPRS design, allocation, scheduling, interference avoidance, reservation, dynamic allocation, and unicast, groupcast, and broadcast signaling in Proposal 7.
Regarding claim 1, claim 1 recites:
Limitation 1: “A method of wireless communication comprising:”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev discloses an assisting UE generating and transmitting inter-UE coordination feedback that reports preferred and/or non-preferred sidelink resource sets to a target transmitting UE; it also describes conflicts that already occurred and potential future conflicts detected from resource-reservation signaling. Khoryaev ¶¶ 76–81, 95–100, 129–142; provisional 63/229,970, pp. 2–7. Bosch discloses that sidelink positioning reference-signal allocation/scheduling should use coordinated resource allocation with interference avoidance, periodic reservation or dynamic allocation, and signaling of the allocation. Bosch, “Potential Solutions for SL positioning,” Proposal 7.
“generating, by a first user equipment (UE), first coordination information associated with sidelink-positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) scheduling, the first coordination information indicates one or more preferred SL-PRS resources of the first UE, one or more non-preferred SL-PRS resources of the first UE, one or more previous SL-PRS conflicts identified by the first UE, one or more future SL-PRS conflicts identified by the first UE, or a combination thereof; and”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev discloses an assisting UE generating and transmitting inter-UE coordination feedback that reports preferred and/or non-preferred sidelink resource sets to a target transmitting UE; it also describes conflicts that already occurred and potential future conflicts detected from resource-reservation signaling. Khoryaev ¶¶ 76–81, 95–100, 129–142; provisional 63/229,970, pp. 2–7. Bosch discloses that sidelink positioning reference-signal allocation/scheduling should use coordinated resource allocation with interference avoidance, periodic reservation or dynamic allocation, and signaling of the allocation. Bosch, “Potential Solutions for SL positioning,”
Claim 1 recites: “transmitting a first message including the first coordination information.”
Khoryaev discloses an assisting UE generating and transmitting inter-UE coordination feedback that reports preferred and/or non-preferred sidelink resource sets to a target transmitting UE; it also describes conflicts that already occurred and potential future conflicts detected from resource-reservation signaling. Khoryaev ¶¶ 76–81, 95–100, 129–142; provisional 63/229,970, pp. 2–7. Bosch discloses that sidelink positioning reference-signal allocation/scheduling should use coordinated resource allocation with interference avoidance, periodic reservation or dynamic allocation, and signaling of the allocation. Bosch, “Potential Solutions for SL positioning,” Proposal 7.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to apply Khoryaev’s inter-UE coordination information to Bosch’s SL-PRS scheduling because both references address allocation of NR sidelink resources and the combination predictably uses known coordination feedback to avoid collisions in positioning-reference-signal transmissions.
Regarding claim 2, claim 2 recites: “The method of claim 1, wherein:”
Khoryaev describes coordination feedback delivered among assisting and target UEs and specifically discusses unicast and groupcast operation; its two coordination schemes encompass preferred/non-preferred resource reporting and already-occurred/potential-future conflicts. Khoryaev ¶¶ 76–81, 129–142. Bosch expressly identifies unicast, groupcast, and broadcast signaling for SL-positioning reference-signal resource allocation. Bosch, Proposal 7.
Claim 2 recites: “the first message is transmitted as a unicast transmission, a broadcast transmission, or a groupcast transmission; and”
Khoryaev describes coordination feedback delivered among assisting and target UEs and specifically discusses unicast and groupcast operation; its two coordination schemes encompass preferred/non-preferred resource reporting and already-occurred/potential-future conflicts. Khoryaev ¶¶ 76–81, 129–142. Bosch expressly identifies unicast, groupcast, and broadcast signaling for SL-positioning reference-signal resource allocation. Bosch/
Claim 2 recites “the first coordination information indicates the one or more preferred SL-PRS resources of the first UE, the one or more non-preferred SL-PRS resources of the first UE, the one or more previous SL-PRS conflicts identified by the first UE, and the one or more future SL-PRS conflicts identified by the first UE.”
Khoryaev describes coordination feedback delivered among assisting and target UEs and specifically discusses unicast and groupcast operation; its two coordination schemes encompass preferred/non-preferred resource reporting and already-occurred/potential-future conflicts. Khoryaev ¶¶ 76–81, 129–142. Bosch expressly identifies unicast, groupcast, and broadcast signaling for SL-positioning reference-signal resource allocation. Bosch, Proposal 7.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to signal the combined coordination report using any of the known sidelink cast types selected according to the intended recipients, thereby obtaining predictable addressing and coverage behavior.
Regarding claim 3, claim 3 recites:
“The method of claim 2, wherein:”
: Khoryaev discloses reference priority values and priority-dependent thresholds, ranking resources using SL-RSRP/SL-SINR/SL-CQI measurements, and generating multiple preferred/non-preferred resource sets. It further analyzes potential future conflicts using reservation periods. Khoryaev ¶¶ 83–94, 105–112, 129–142. The claimed lists are disjunctive; Khoryaev’s signal-strength/quality and reservation teachings satisfy the recited alternatives.
Claim 3 recites “the one or more preferred SL-PRS resources include multiple preferred SL-PRS resources arranged based on priority;”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev discloses reference priority values and priority-dependent thresholds, ranking resources using SL-RSRP/SL-SINR/SL-CQI measurements, and generating multiple preferred/non-preferred resource sets. It further analyzes potential future conflicts using reservation periods. Khoryaev ¶¶ 83–94, 105–112, 129–142. The claimed lists are disjunctive; Khoryaev’s signal-strength/quality and reservation teachings satisfy the recited alternatives.
Limitation 3: “the one or more non-preferred SL-PRS resources include multiple non-preferred SL-PRS resources arranged based on priority;”
Khoryaev discloses reference priority values and priority-dependent thresholds, ranking resources using SL-RSRP/SL-SINR/SL-CQI measurements, and generating multiple preferred/non-preferred resource sets. It further analyzes potential future conflicts using reservation periods. Khoryaev ¶¶ 83–94, 105–112, 129–142. The claimed lists are disjunctive; Khoryaev’s signal-strength/quality and reservation teachings satisfy the recited alternatives.
Claim 3 recites : “the one or more previous SL-PRS conflicts determined based on a signal quality, a percentage of overlap, a signal strength, or a combination;”
Khoryaev discloses reference priority values and priority-dependent thresholds, ranking resources using SL-RSRP/SL-SINR/SL-CQI measurements, and generating multiple preferred/non-preferred resource sets. It further analyzes potential future conflicts using reservation periods. Khoryaev ¶¶ 83–94, 105–112, 129–142. The claimed lists are disjunctive; Khoryaev’s signal-strength/quality and reservation teachings satisfy the recited alternatives.
Claim 3 further recites : “the one or more future SL-PRS conflicts determined based on one or more reservations, a percentage of overlap, or a combination thereof, or a combination thereof.”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev discloses reference priority values and priority-dependent thresholds, ranking resources using SL-RSRP/SL-SINR/SL-CQI measurements, and generating multiple preferred/non-preferred resource sets. It further analyzes potential future conflicts using reservation periods. Khoryaev ¶¶ 83–94, 105–112, 129–142. The claimed lists are disjunctive; Khoryaev’s signal-strength/quality and reservation teachings satisfy the recited alternatives.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to order candidate SL-PRS resources by the already-used priority/measurement metrics and to identify future SL-PRS conflicts from reservation information, because those operations directly support choosing the least-conflicted positioning resource.
Regarding claim 4, claim 4 recites:: “The method of claim 2, wherein:”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev ranks resources by measured SL-RSRP, SL-SINR, or SL-CQI and applies thresholds, including priority-dependent thresholds, while distinguishing actual and potential future conflicts. Khoryaev ¶¶ 105–112, 129–142. Ordering conflicts by the magnitude of the same interference/quality metric is the predictable presentation of those measured conflicts.
Limitation 2: “the one or more previous SL-PRS conflicts include multiple previous SL-PRS conflicts arranged based on severity;”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev ranks resources by measured SL-RSRP, SL-SINR, or SL-CQI and applies thresholds, including priority-dependent thresholds, while distinguishing actual and potential future conflicts. Khoryaev ¶¶ 105–112, 129–142. Ordering conflicts by the magnitude of the same interference/quality metric is the predictable presentation of those measured conflicts.
Limitation 3: “the one or more future SL-PRS conflicts include multiple future SL-PRS conflicts arranged based on severity; or”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev ranks resources by measured SL-RSRP, SL-SINR, or SL-CQI and applies thresholds, including priority-dependent thresholds, while distinguishing actual and potential future conflicts. Khoryaev ¶¶ 105–112, 129–142. Ordering conflicts by the magnitude of the same interference/quality metric is the predictable presentation of those measured conflicts.
Limitation 4: “a combination thereof.”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev ranks resources by measured SL-RSRP, SL-SINR, or SL-CQI and applies thresholds, including priority-dependent thresholds, while distinguishing actual and potential future conflicts. Khoryaev ¶¶ 105–112, 129–142. Ordering conflicts by the magnitude of the same interference/quality metric is the predictable presentation of those measured conflicts.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to arrange the reported conflicts by severity so that the receiving UE can address the conflicts having the greatest expected effect first; this is a conventional ordering of already-computed quantitative metrics and does not require a new technical function.
Regarding claim 5, claim 5 recites:: “The method of claim 1, further comprising:”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev teaches that a target transmitting UE receives inter-UE coordination feedback and applies the preferred/non-preferred sets during its resource-selection procedure. Khoryaev ¶¶ 78, 81, 113–123; provisional p. 7, Fig. 1. Bosch teaches allocating and scheduling the SL positioning reference signal with interference avoidance. Bosch, Proposal 7.
Claim 5 recites “receiving scheduling information associated with an SL-PRS, the scheduling information generated based on the first coordination information; and”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev teaches that a target transmitting UE receives inter-UE coordination feedback and applies the preferred/non-preferred sets during its resource-selection procedure. Khoryaev ¶¶ 78, 81, 113–123; provisional p. 7, Fig. 1. Bosch teaches allocating and scheduling the SL positioning reference signal with interference avoidance. Bosch, Proposal 7.
Limitation 3: “receiving the SL-PRS based on the scheduling information.”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev teaches that a target transmitting UE receives inter-UE coordination feedback and applies the preferred/non-preferred sets during its resource-selection procedure. Khoryaev ¶¶ 78, 81, 113–123; provisional p. 7, Fig. 1. Bosch teaches allocating and scheduling the SL positioning reference signal with interference avoidance. Bosch, Proposal 7.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention for the receiving/positioning UE to receive the resulting SL-PRS scheduling information and the scheduled SL-PRS, because that is the ordinary operational completion of the combined feedback-driven SL-PRS allocation procedure.
Regarding claim 6, claim 6 recites: “The method of claim 1, wherein:”
Khoryaev discloses reference configurations containing a number of subchannels, subchannel size, PRB/resource-pool parameters, and selection-window boundaries expressed in sidelink slots or symbols. Khoryaev ¶¶ 83–94; provisional pp. 4–6. Bosch supplies the SL-positioning-reference-signal use. Because the claim uses disjunctive alternatives, Khoryaev’s subchannel, PRB, slot, and symbol disclosures meet the claimed configuration alternatives without relying on comb type or comb offset.
Limitation 2: “an SL-PRS resource is associated with an SL-PRS configuration that includes a SL-PRS configuration, the SL-PRS configuration includes a number of symbols, a comb type, a comb-offset, a number of subchannels, a subchannel size, a reference block (RB), or a combination thereof;”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev discloses reference configurations containing a number of subchannels, subchannel size, PRB/resource-pool parameters, and selection-window boundaries expressed in sidelink slots or symbols. Khoryaev ¶¶ 83–94; provisional pp. 4–6. Bosch supplies the SL-positioning-reference-signal use. Because the claim uses disjunctive alternatives, Khoryaev’s subchannel, PRB, slot, and symbol disclosures meet the claimed configuration alternatives without relying on comb type or comb offset.
Claim 6 recites “an SL-PRS conflict is associated with a symbol of a slot; or”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev discloses reference configurations containing a number of subchannels, subchannel size, PRB/resource-pool parameters, and selection-window boundaries expressed in sidelink slots or symbols. Khoryaev ¶¶ 83–94; provisional pp. 4–6. Bosch supplies the SL-positioning-reference-signal use. Because the claim uses disjunctive alternatives, Khoryaev’s subchannel, PRB, slot, and symbol disclosures meet the claimed configuration alternatives without relying on comb type or comb offset.
Claim 6 further recites “a combination thereof.”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev discloses reference configurations containing a number of subchannels, subchannel size, PRB/resource-pool parameters, and selection-window boundaries expressed in sidelink slots or symbols. Khoryaev ¶¶ 83–94; provisional pp. 4–6. Bosch supplies the SL-positioning-reference-signal use. Because the claim uses disjunctive alternatives, Khoryaev’s subchannel, PRB, slot, and symbol disclosures meet the claimed configuration alternatives without relying on comb type or comb offset.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to express the SL-PRS resource and its conflict using the same subchannel, PRB, slot, and symbol coordinates already used for sidelink resource identification, enabling the coordination report to identify the affected physical resource unambiguously.
Regarding claim 7, claim 7 recites: “The method of claim 1, wherein the first coordination information further indicates one or more reservations for sidelink (SL) communication.”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev repeatedly uses resource-reservation periods and SCI reservation information to generate coordination feedback and analyze potential future conflicts. Khoryaev ¶¶ 129–142, especially ¶¶ 134–142.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to include the reservation information used to derive the future-conflict indication in the coordination message itself, so the target UE can evaluate and avoid the reserved resources.
Regarding claim 8, claim 8 recites: “The method of claim 1, wherein the first message includes a forwarding count value associated with a number of times at least a portion of the first coordination information is forwardable by a set one or more device, a zone ID of the first UE, a range indicator that indicates a range threshold, a message ID based on a device identifier of the first UE and a timestamp, or a combination thereof.”
Khoryaev associates resource sets with a reference time instance and permits SL-RSRP/SL-SINR/SL-CQI to be replaced by communication range; it also uses report/configuration identifiers. Khoryaev ¶¶ 95–100, 105–112, 145–148. At minimum, the disjunctive “range indicator” alternative is taught by Khoryaev’s communication-range threshold associated with the feedback.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to include the range-threshold indicator with the coordination report because the threshold defines the geographical/measurement scope in which the reported resource assessment is useful.
Regarding claim 9, claim 9 recites: “The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a second message including second coordination information associated with the SL-PRS scheduling.”
Khoryaev discloses multiple assisting UEs, multiple reference configurations, and multiple inter-UE coordination reports. Khoryaev ¶¶ 95–100; provisional p. 6. Bosch supplies the SL-PRS scheduling context.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to receive a second coordination message from another assisting UE or for another reference configuration, because multiple observations improve spatial coverage and scheduling reliability.
Regarding claim 10, claim 10 recites: “A user equipment (UE) comprising:”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev implements its inter-UE coordination procedures in NR UEs having processors, memory, radio circuitry, and sidelink interfaces, and discloses the same generation/transmission operations mapped for claim 1. Khoryaev Figs. 1A–2 and ¶¶ 70–81, 95–100. Bosch supplies the SL-PRS application as explained for claim 1.
Claim 10 recites: “a memory storing processor-readable code; and”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev implements its inter-UE coordination procedures in NR UEs having processors, memory, radio circuitry, and sidelink interfaces, and discloses the same generation/transmission operations mapped for claim 1. Khoryaev Figs. 1A–2 and ¶¶ 70–81, 95–100. Bosch supplies the SL-PRS application as explained for claim 1.
“at least one processor coupled to the memory, the at least one processor configured to execute the processor-readable code to cause the at least one processor to:”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev implements its inter-UE coordination procedures in NR UEs having processors, memory, radio circuitry, and sidelink interfaces, and discloses the same generation/transmission operations mapped for claim 1. Khoryaev Figs. 1A–2 and ¶¶ 70–81, 95–100. Bosch supplies the SL-PRS application as explained for claim 1.
“generate first coordination information associated with sidelink-positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) scheduling, the first coordination information indicates one or more preferred SL-PRS resources of the UE, one or more non-preferred SL-PRS resources of the UE, one or more previous SL-PRS conflicts identified by the UE, one or more future SL-PRS conflicts identified by the UE, or a combination thereof; and”Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev implements its inter-UE coordination procedures in NR UEs having processors, memory, radio circuitry, and sidelink interfaces, and discloses the same generation/transmission operations mapped for claim 1. Khoryaev Figs. 1A–2 and ¶¶ 70–81, 95–100. Bosch supplies the SL-PRS application as explained for claim 1.
“initiate transmission of a first message including the first coordination information.”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev implements its inter-UE coordination procedures in NR UEs having processors, memory, radio circuitry, and sidelink interfaces, and discloses the same generation/transmission operations mapped for claim 1. Khoryaev Figs. 1A–2 and ¶¶ 70–81, 95–100. Bosch supplies the SL-PRS application as explained for claim 1.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to implement the combined method in the programmable memory-and-processor UE expressly contemplated by Khoryaev, yielding the predictable apparatus counterpart of claim 1.
Regarding claim 11, claim 11 recites: “The UE of claim 10, wherein:”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev discloses reservation information as mapped for claim 7 and a communication-range threshold associated with coordination feedback as mapped for claim 8. Khoryaev ¶¶ 105–112, 129–148.
Claim 11 recites: “the first coordination information further indicates one or more reservations for sidelink (SL) communication; and”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev discloses reservation information as mapped for claim 7 and a communication-range threshold associated with coordination feedback as mapped for claim 8. Khoryaev ¶¶ 105–112, 129–148.
Claim 11 recites e first message includes a forwarding count value associated with a number of times at least a portion of the first coordination information is forwardable by a set one or more device, a zone ID of the UE, a range indicator that indicates a range threshold, a message ID based on a device identifier of the UE and a timestamp, or a combination thereof.”
Khoryaev discloses reservation information as mapped for claim 7 and a communication-range threshold associated with coordination feedback as mapped for claim 8. Khoryaev ¶¶ 105–112, 129–148.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to include both the reservation and its applicable range indicator in the processor-generated coordination message, allowing a receiving UE to determine both which resources are reserved and the scope within which the report applies.
Regarding claim 12, claim 12 recites: Claim 12 recites: “The UE of claim 10, wherein:”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev and Bosch disclose the same cast-type and four-category coordination limitations mapped for claim 2, and Khoryaev discloses their implementation by UEs. Khoryaev ¶¶ 76–81, 129–142; Bosch, Proposal 7.
Claim 12 recites: “the first message is transmitted as a unicast transmission, a broadcast transmission, or a groupcast transmission; and”Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev and Bosch disclose the same cast-type and four-category coordination limitations mapped for claim 2, and Khoryaev discloses their implementation by UEs. Khoryaev ¶¶ 76–81, 129–142; Bosch, Proposal 7.
“the first coordination information indicates the one or more preferred SL-PRS resources of the UE, the one or more non-preferred SL-PRS resources of the UE, the one or more previous SL-PRS conflicts identified by the UE, and the one or more future SL-PRS conflicts identified by the UE.”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev and Bosch disclose the same cast-type and four-category coordination limitations mapped for claim 2, and Khoryaev discloses their implementation by UEs. Khoryaev ¶¶ 76–81, 129–142; Bosch, Proposal 7.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to configure the UE processor and radio to perform the claim-2 signaling for the same reasons stated for claim 2.
Regarding claim 13, claim 13 recites:“The UE of claim 12, wherein:”
Khoryaev discloses multiple preferred/non-preferred resource sets, reference priority values, and priority-dependent resource thresholds. Khoryaev ¶¶ 83–100, 105–112. Bosch supplies the SL-PRS context.
“the one or more preferred SL-PRS resources include multiple preferred SL-PRS resources arranged based on priority, and”
Khoryaev discloses multiple preferred/non-preferred resource sets, reference priority values, and priority-dependent resource thresholds. Khoryaev ¶¶ 83–100, 105–112. Bosch supplies the SL-PRS context.
Limitation 3: “the one or more non-preferred SL-PRS resources include multiple non-preferred SL-PRS resources arranged based on priority.”
Khoryaev discloses multiple preferred/non-preferred resource sets, reference priority values, and priority-dependent resource thresholds. Khoryaev ¶¶ 83–100, 105–112. Bosch supplies the SL-PRS context.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to program the UE to arrange the SL-PRS resource candidates by the disclosed priority so the target UE can select higher-priority candidates first.
Regarding claim 14, claim 14 recites:“The UE of claim 12, wherein:”
Khoryaev discloses SL-RSRP, SL-SINR and SL-CQI measurements and thresholding for resource assessment, and analyzes potential future conflicts from resource reservations. Khoryaev ¶¶ 105–112, 129–142.
Limitation 2: “the one or more previous SL-PRS conflicts determined based on a signal quality, a percentage of overlap, a signal strength, or a combination, and”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev discloses SL-RSRP, SL-SINR and SL-CQI measurements and thresholding for resource assessment, and analyzes potential future conflicts from resource reservations. Khoryaev ¶¶ 105–112, 129–142.
Limitation 3: “the one or more future SL-PRS conflicts determined based on one or more reservations, a percentage of overlap, or a combination thereof.”
Khoryaev discloses SL-RSRP, SL-SINR and SL-CQI measurements and thresholding for resource assessment, and analyzes potential future conflicts from resource reservations. Khoryaev ¶¶ 105–112, 129–142.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to program the UE to use the disclosed signal metrics and reservations to classify prior and future SL-PRS conflicts, for the same predictable conflict-detection benefit stated for claim 3.
Regarding claim 15, claim 15 recites:: “The UE of claim 12, wherein:”
Khoryaev supplies quantitative signal-quality measurements, thresholds, and multiple actual/future conflict observations. Khoryaev ¶¶ 105–112, 129–142.
: “the one or more previous SL-PRS conflicts include multiple previous SL-PRS conflicts arranged based on severity; and”
Khoryaev supplies quantitative signal-quality measurements, thresholds, and multiple actual/future conflict observations. Khoryaev ¶¶ 105–112, 129–142.
Limitation 3: “the one or more future SL-PRS conflicts include multiple future SL-PRS conflicts arranged based on severity.” Khoryaev supplies quantitative signal-quality measurements, thresholds, and multiple actual/future conflict observations. Khoryaev ¶¶ 105–112, 129–142.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to program the UE to rank those conflicts according to the magnitude of the measured or predicted interference, for the same prioritization reason stated for claim 4.
2. Claims 16–18 and 22–26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Khoryaev et al. (US 2024/0292378 A1) in view of Robert Bosch GmbH (3GPP TDoc RP-213334), and further in view of Chen et al. (US 2022/0338092 A1).
Khoryaev and Bosch teach the SL-PRS coordination message as explained above. Khoryaev and Bosch do not expressly teach deciding whether to forward the received coordination message based on forwarding information in that message. Chen is Reference C. Chen teaches a relay UE receiving sidelink traffic and forwarding the traffic using adaptation and identifier information carried in the sidelink MAC subheader.
Regarding claim 16, claim 16 recites:
Limitation 1: “A method of wireless communication comprising:”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev discloses a target UE receiving coordination feedback containing preferred/non-preferred resources and actual/potential future conflicts. Khoryaev ¶¶ 76–81, 113–123, 129–142. Bosch applies that feedback to SL-PRS scheduling. Chen discloses a relay UE receiving sidelink traffic and forwarding it based on adaptation information in the SL-SCH subheader, including remote-UE and end-to-end bearer identifiers. Chen ¶¶ 5–6, 42–56; claims 1, 8–11.
Limitation 2: “receiving, by a first user equipment (UE), a first message including first coordination information associated with sidelink-positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) scheduling, the first coordination information indicates one or more preferred SL-PRS resources of the first UE, one or more non-preferred SL-PRS resources of the first UE, one or more previous SL-PRS conflicts identified by the first UE, one or more future SL-PRS conflicts identified by the first UE, or a combination thereof; and”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev discloses a target UE receiving coordination feedback containing preferred/non-preferred resources and actual/potential future conflicts. Khoryaev ¶¶ 76–81, 113–123, 129–142. Bosch applies that feedback to SL-PRS scheduling. Chen discloses a relay UE receiving sidelink traffic and forwarding it based on adaptation information in the SL-SCH subheader, including remote-UE and end-to-end bearer identifiers. Chen ¶¶ 5–6, 42–56; claims 1, 8–11.
Limitation 3: “determining whether to forward at least a portion of the first message based on forwarding information included in the first message.”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev discloses a target UE receiving coordination feedback containing preferred/non-preferred resources and actual/potential future conflicts. Khoryaev ¶¶ 76–81, 113–123, 129–142. Bosch applies that feedback to SL-PRS scheduling. Chen discloses a relay UE receiving sidelink traffic and forwarding it based on adaptation information in the SL-SCH subheader, including remote-UE and end-to-end bearer identifiers. Chen ¶¶ 5–6, 42–56; claims 1, 8–11.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to carry the Khoryaev/Bosch SL-PRS coordination report through Chen’s known NR sidelink relay and to use an included forwarding/adaptation field to decide the next-hop forwarding operation, thereby extending coordination coverage with predictable relay behavior.
Regarding claim 17, claim 17 recites:
Limitation 1: “The method of claim 16, further comprising:”
Khoryaev teaches reservation signaling and selection/reservation of sidelink resources based on received inter-UE coordination feedback, with resource windows expressed in slots and symbols. Khoryaev ¶¶ 83–94, 113–142. Bosch expressly calls for SL-positioning-reference-signal scheduling and periodic reservation/dynamic allocation with interference avoidance. Bosch, Proposal 7.
“transmitting a reservation message to reserve a symbol for transmission of an SL-PRS; and”
Khoryaev teaches reservation signaling and selection/reservation of sidelink resources based on received inter-UE coordination feedback, with resource windows expressed in slots and symbols. Khoryaev ¶¶ 83–94, 113–142. Bosch expressly calls for SL-positioning-reference-signal scheduling and periodic reservation/dynamic allocation with interference avoidance. Bosch, Proposal 7. “transmitting the SL-PRS using an SL-PRS resource, wherein the symbol, the SL-PRS resource, or a combination thereof is selected based on the first coordination information.”
Khoryaev teaches reservation signaling and selection/reservation of sidelink resources based on received inter-UE coordination feedback, with resource windows expressed in slots and symbols. Khoryaev ¶¶ 83–94, 113–142. Bosch expressly calls for SL-positioning-reference-signal scheduling and periodic reservation/dynamic allocation with interference avoidance. Bosch, Proposal 7.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to transmit the ordinary reservation message for the feedback-selected SL-PRS symbol/resource and then transmit the SL-PRS on that resource, completing the known reserve-then-transmit sequence.
Regarding claim 18, claim 18 recites:“The method of claim 16, wherein the forwarding information includes a forwarding count value, a zone ID associated with the first UE or a second UE, a range indicator, a message ID, or a combination thereof.” Chen places remote-UE and end-to-end SLRB identifiers in the sidelink MAC subheader and preserves them through succeeding relay transmissions. Chen ¶¶ 42–55. The disjunctive message-ID alternative is therefore supplied by Chen’s forwarding identifier field. Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to use the known sidelink message/flow identifier as the forwarding information for the coordination report, because the relay must identify the report or flow that is to be forwarded.
Regarding claim 22, claim 22 recites: “the method of claim 16, wherein the forwarding information includes an explicit forwarding indicator.”
Chen expressly discloses that a specific codepoint in the V field of the sidelink MAC subheader shows that the next hop is the final-hop transmission; the relay uses that subheader information during the succeeding forwarding operation. Chen ¶¶ 47–48 and 55. Michmerhuizen separately discloses an express “Forwarded Flag” in the message-header Flags field. Michmerhuizen ¶ 549. Together these disclosures establish that explicit header indicators controlling or identifying forwarding state were conventional.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to include an explicit forwarding indicator in the SL-PRS coordination-message header so the receiving relay can determine from the message itself whether another forwarding hop is permitted or required, avoiding reliance on external state.
Regarding claim 23, claim 23 recites:”The method of claim 16, further comprising determining to forward the portion of the first message based on whether a priority associated with the SL-PRS is high or a priority of a positioning session associated with the SL PRS is high.”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev discloses sidelink reference priority values, priority-dependent thresholds, and feedback/resource handling based on priority. Khoryaev ¶¶ 83–94, 105–112. Chen discloses forwarding sidelink traffic through the relay path.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to use the already-carried sidelink priority to decide whether the coordination report merits relay forwarding, because prioritizing high-importance traffic under constrained sidelink resources is a predictable scheduling policy.
Regarding claim 24, claim 24 recites:: “The method of claim 16, further comprising:”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev discloses multiple assisting UEs, multiple reference configurations, and multiple coordination reports. Khoryaev ¶¶ 95–100. Chen discloses receiving traffic, forming the succeeding relay transmission with retained adaptation information, and forwarding it over a next sidelink hop. Chen ¶¶ 48–56.
Limitation 2: “receiving a second message including second coordination information associated with the SL-PRS scheduling;”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev discloses multiple assisting UEs, multiple reference configurations, and multiple coordination reports. Khoryaev ¶¶ 95–100. Chen discloses receiving traffic, forming the succeeding relay transmission with retained adaptation information, and forwarding it over a next sidelink hop. Chen ¶¶ 48–56.
“determining whether to forward at least the portion of the first message, at least a portion of the second message, or a combination thereof;”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev discloses multiple assisting UEs, multiple reference configurations, and multiple coordination reports. Khoryaev ¶¶ 95–100. Chen discloses receiving traffic, forming the succeeding relay transmission with retained adaptation information, and forwarding it over a next sidelink hop. Chen ¶¶ 48–56.
Limitation 4: “generating a forwarding message that includes the portion of the first message, the portion of the second message, or a combination thereof; and”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev discloses multiple assisting UEs, multiple reference configurations, and multiple coordination reports. Khoryaev ¶¶ 95–100. Chen discloses receiving traffic, forming the succeeding relay transmission with retained adaptation information, and forwarding it over a next sidelink hop. Chen ¶¶ 48–56.
Limitation 5: “transmitting the forwarding message.”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev discloses multiple assisting UEs, multiple reference configurations, and multiple coordination reports. Khoryaev ¶¶ 95–100. Chen discloses receiving traffic, forming the succeeding relay transmission with retained adaptation information, and forwarding it over a next sidelink hop. Chen ¶¶ 48–56.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to aggregate selected portions of multiple coordination reports into the next relay transmission, reducing signaling overhead while forwarding the useful coordination content.
Regarding claim 25, claim 25 recites:”A user equipment (UE) comprising:”
Khoryaev discloses programmable NR UEs that receive coordination feedback; Bosch supplies the SL-PRS application; and Chen expressly discloses a UE with control modules/handlers that receives and forwards sidelink packets based on header adaptation information. Khoryaev Figs. 1A–2; Chen ¶¶ 3–6, 38–56, 424–426. “a memory storing processor-readable code; and”
Khoryaev discloses programmable NR UEs that receive coordination feedback; Bosch supplies the SL-PRS application; and Chen expressly discloses a UE with control modules/handlers that receives and forwards sidelink packets based on header adaptation information. Khoryaev Figs. 1A–2; Chen ¶¶ 3–6, 38–56, 424–426. “at least one processor coupled to the memory, the at least one processor configured to execute the processor-readable code to cause the at least one processor to:”
Khoryaev discloses programmable NR UEs that receive coordination feedback; Bosch supplies the SL-PRS application; and Chen expressly discloses a UE with control modules/handlers that receives and forwards sidelink packets based on header adaptation information. Khoryaev Figs. 1A–2; Chen ¶¶ 3–6, 38–56, 424–426.
“receive a first message including first coordination information associated with sidelink-positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) scheduling, the first coordination information indicates one or more preferred SL-PRS resources of the UE, one or more non-preferred SL-PRS resources of the UE, one or more previous SL-PRS conflicts identified by the UE, one or more future SL-PRS conflicts identified by the UE, or a combination thereof; and”
Khoryaev discloses programmable NR UEs that receive coordination feedback; Bosch supplies the SL-PRS application; and Chen expressly discloses a UE with control modules/handlers that receives and forwards sidelink packets based on header adaptation information. Khoryaev Figs. 1A–2; Chen ¶¶ 3–6, 38–56, 424–426.
“determine whether to forward at least a portion of the first message based on forwarding information included in the first message.”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev discloses programmable NR UEs that receive coordination feedback; Bosch supplies the SL-PRS application; and Chen expressly discloses a UE with control modules/handlers that receives and forwards sidelink packets based on header adaptation information. Khoryaev Figs. 1A–2; Chen ¶¶ 3–6, 38–56, 424–426.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to implement the combined claim-16 relay method in Chen’s memory-and-processor UE, yielding the predictable apparatus counterpart.
Regarding claim 26, claim 26 recites: “The UE of claim 25, wherein the forwarding information includes a forwarding count value, a zone ID associated with the UE, a range indicator, a message ID, or a combination thereof.”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Chen discloses identifier information carried in the sidelink MAC header and used across relay hops, including remote-UE and end-to-end SLRB identifiers. Chen ¶¶ 42–55. This satisfies the disjunctive message-ID alternative.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to configure the UE processor to use the carried identifier as forwarding information for the same identification and routing reasons stated for claim 18.
3. Claims 19–21 and 27–30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Khoryaev et al. (US 2024/0292378 A1) in view of Robert Bosch GmbH (3GPP TDoc RP-213334) and Chen et al. (US 2022/0338092 A1), and further in view of Michmerhuizen et al. (US 2013/0279695 A1), Manolakos et al. (WO 2021/011652 A1), and Liu, Yang & Zhao (US 2005/0088318 A1).
The combination of Khoryaev, Bosch, and Chen teaches receiving and forwarding the SL-PRS coordination message. That combination does not expressly teach all of the claimed forwarding-count, duplicate-suppression, signal-threshold, zone, and outward-range tests. Michmerhuizen teaches a forwarded flag, hop count and threshold, duplicate suppression, message age, and forwarding metadata. Manolakos teaches sidelink zone identifiers, transmitter-location signaling, and transmitter-to-receiver distance. Liu teaches forwarding when a receiver is outside the source transmission range.
Regarding claim 19, claim 19 recites: “The method of claim 18, wherein:”
Michmerhuizen discloses incrementing a hop count when a message is forwarded and stopping when the hop count reaches a threshold. Michmerhuizen ¶¶ 549–550, 558, 564–565. Khoryaev discloses coordination parameters that are predefined by specification, network/application-layer configured, or provided between UEs. Khoryaev ¶¶ 129–148.
Limitation 2: “determining whether to forward the portion of the first message includes performing a comparison based on the forwarding count value and a count value threshold, the zone ID and a range threshold, or a combination thereof; and”
Michmerhuizen discloses incrementing a hop count when a message is forwarded and stopping when the hop count reaches a threshold. Michmerhuizen ¶¶ 549–550, 558, 564–565. Khoryaev discloses coordination parameters that are predefined by specification, network/application-layer configured, or provided between UEs. Khoryaev ¶¶ 129–148.
: “the count value threshold, the range threshold, or a combination thereof is defined by a standard, received from a location management function (LMF), negotiated between multiple UEs, or configured by an application layer.”
Michmerhuizen discloses incrementing a hop count when a message is forwarded and stopping when the hop count reaches a threshold. Michmerhuizen ¶¶ 549–550, 558, 564–565. Khoryaev discloses coordination parameters that are predefined by specification, network/application-layer configured, or provided between UEs. Khoryaev ¶¶ 129–148.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to compare the forwarding count of the SL-PRS coordination message with a configured hop threshold, using the same standard/network/UE configuration mechanisms already used for coordination parameters, so that repeated forwarding terminates predictably.
Regarding claim 20, claim 20 recites:
“The method of claim 18, wherein determining whether to forward the portion of the first message is determined based on the message ID and whether another message having the same message ID was previously transmitted by the first UE or determined to not be forwarded by the first UE.”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Chen supplies a persistent sidelink flow/message identifier in the forwarding header. Chen ¶¶ 42–55. Michmerhuizen discloses suppressing retransmission when enough copies have been received and recognizes duplicate forwarded messages and forwarding decisions. Michmerhuizen ¶¶ 554–563.
Reason to combine:
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to index the conventional duplicate/suppression state by Chen’s carried message identifier and decline repeat forwarding of an identifier already transmitted or previously suppressed, preventing redundant relay traffic.
Regarding claim 21, claim 21 recites: “The method of claim 18, wherein:”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev discloses SL-RSRP/SL-SINR/SL-CQI and communication-range thresholds. Khoryaev ¶¶ 105–112. Manolakos discloses a transmitter zone ID/location in sidelink control information and a receiving UE determining its own location and the transmitter-receiver distance. Manolakos ¶¶ 7, 10, 12–18, 203–209. Liu discloses geographic forwarding regions and expressly teaches that each receiver of a forwarded first-hop message calculates its distance to the source condition; if the receiver is outside the source vehicle’s transmission range, it forwards the message as the next-hop message. Liu, description accompanying Figs. 11 and 14; claims 13 and 16. Because claim 21 is disjunctive, the signal-strength branch is met by Khoryaev’s received-strength threshold, while Liu directly supports the outward-distance forwarding branch.
Limitation 2: “determining whether to forward the portion of the first message includes determining a signal strength associated with the first message and performing a comparison based on the signal strength and a signal strength threshold, the portion determined to be forwarded based on the signal strength being less than or equal to the signal strength threshold;”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev discloses SL-RSRP/SL-SINR/SL-CQI and communication-range thresholds. Khoryaev ¶¶ 105–112. Manolakos discloses a transmitter zone ID/location in sidelink control information and a receiving UE determining its own location and the transmitter-receiver distance. Manolakos ¶¶ 7, 10, 12–18, 203–209. Liu discloses geographic forwarding regions and expressly teaches that each receiver of a forwarded first-hop message calculates its distance to the source condition; if the receiver is outside the source vehicle’s transmission range, it forwards the message as the next-hop message. Liu, description accompanying Figs. 11 and 14; claims 13 and 16. Because claim 21 is disjunctive, the signal-strength branch is met by Khoryaev’s received-strength threshold, while Liu directly supports the outward-distance forwarding branch.
“determining whether to forward the portion of the first message includes performing a comparison between the zone ID of the first message and a zone ID associated with the first UE, the portion determined to be forwarded based on the zone ID of the first message and the zone ID associated with the first UE being different; or”
Khoryaev discloses SL-RSRP/SL-SINR/SL-CQI and communication-range thresholds. Khoryaev ¶¶ 105–112. Manolakos discloses a transmitter zone ID/location in sidelink control information and a receiving UE determining its own location and the transmitter-receiver distance. Manolakos ¶¶ 7, 10, 12–18, 203–209. Liu discloses geographic forwarding regions and expressly teaches that each receiver of a forwarded first-hop message calculates its distance to the source condition; if the receiver is outside the source vehicle’s transmission range, it forwards the message as the next-hop message. Liu, description accompanying Figs. 11 and 14; claims 13 and 16. Because claim 21 is disjunctive, the signal-strength branch is met by Khoryaev’s received-strength threshold, while Liu directly supports the outward-distance forwarding branch.
“determining whether to forward the portion of the first message includes performing a comparison based on the zone ID and a range threshold, the zone ID is associated with a source device that generated the first coordination information or of a device that transmitted the first message to forwarded the first coordination information to the first UE, the portion determined to be forwarded based on a distance between the first UE and a location associated with the zone ID being greater than or equal to the range threshold.”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev discloses SL-RSRP/SL-SINR/SL-CQI and communication-range thresholds. Khoryaev ¶¶ 105–112. Manolakos discloses a transmitter zone ID/location in sidelink control information and a receiving UE determining its own location and the transmitter-receiver distance. Manolakos ¶¶ 7, 10, 12–18, 203–209. Liu discloses geographic forwarding regions and expressly teaches that each receiver of a forwarded first-hop message calculates its distance to the source condition; if the receiver is outside the source vehicle’s transmission range, it forwards the message as the next-hop message. Liu, description accompanying Figs. 11 and 14; claims 13 and 16. Because claim 21 is disjunctive, the signal-strength branch is met by Khoryaev’s received-strength threshold, while Liu directly supports the outward-distance forwarding branch.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to trigger forwarding when received strength falls to or below a threshold, thereby relaying a coordination report as direct-link reliability degrades. It also would have been obvious to use Manolakos’s carried zone/location information in Liu’s express outside-transmission-range forwarding test, because the source zone identifies the source location and the range threshold defines the direct-coverage boundary at which Liu initiates the next relay hop.
Regarding claim 27, claim 27 recites:“The UE of claim 26, wherein, to determine whether to forward the portion of the first message, the at least one processor is further configured to execute the processor-readable code to cause the at least one processor to:”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Michmerhuizen’s hop-count threshold and Khoryaev’s specification/network/application/UE configuration mechanisms disclose the same functional limitations mapped for claim 19. Michmerhuizen ¶¶ 549–550, 558, 564–565; Khoryaev ¶¶ 129–148.
“performing a comparison based on the forwarding count value and a count value threshold, the zone ID and a range threshold, or a combination thereof, the count value threshold, the range threshold, or a combination thereof are defined by a standard, received from a location management function (LMF), negotiated between multiple UEs, or configured by an application layer.”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Michmerhuizen’s hop-count threshold and Khoryaev’s specification/network/application/UE configuration mechanisms disclose the same functional limitations mapped for claim 19. Michmerhuizen ¶¶ 549–550, 558, 564–565; Khoryaev ¶¶ 129–148.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to program the relay UE to perform the threshold comparison for the same bounded-forwarding reason stated for claim 19.
Regarding claim 28, claim 28 recites: “The UE of claim 26, wherein, to determine whether to forward the portion of the first message, the at least one processor is further configured to execute the processor-readable code to cause the at least one processor to:”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev discloses measuring SL-RSRP/SL-SINR/SL-CQI and comparing the metric with thresholds for coordination/resource decisions. Khoryaev ¶¶ 105–112. Chen supplies the relay-forwarding processor.
“determining whether to forward the portion of the first message includes determining a signal strength associated with the first message and performing a comparison based on the signal strength and a signal strength threshold, the portion determined to be forwarded based on the signal strength being less than or equal to the signal strength threshold.”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Khoryaev discloses measuring SL-RSRP/SL-SINR/SL-CQI and comparing the metric with thresholds for coordination/resource decisions. Khoryaev ¶¶ 105–112. Chen supplies the relay-forwarding processor.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to program the relay to forward when received strength reaches or falls below the configured threshold, because the below-threshold condition identifies degradation of the direct link and a predictable need for relay coverage.
Regarding claim 29, claim 29 recites:: “The UE of claim 26, wherein, to determine whether to forward the portion of the first message, the at least one processor is further configured to execute the processor-readable code to cause the at least one processor to:”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Manolakos discloses signaling a transmitter zone ID/location and calculating zone identifiers from configured geographical grids; the receiving UE knows its own location/zone. Manolakos ¶¶ 7, 10, 12–18, 203–209. Liu defines geographic alert and warning regions and makes the forwarding decision according to the receiving vehicle’s geographic relationship to the source region, forwarding toward a region outside the one-hop alert zone. Liu, description accompanying Figs. 11 and 14; claims 11–16. Chen supplies the forwarding processor.
“determining whether to forward the portion of the first message includes performing a comparison between the zone ID of the first message and a zone ID associated with the UE, the portion determined to be forwarded based on the zone ID of the first message and a zone ID associated with the UE being different.”
Manolakos discloses signaling a transmitter zone ID/location and calculating zone identifiers from configured geographical grids; the receiving UE knows its own location/zone. Manolakos ¶¶ 7, 10, 12–18, 203–209. Liu defines geographic alert and warning regions and makes the forwarding decision according to the receiving vehicle’s geographic relationship to the source region, forwarding toward a region outside the one-hop alert zone. Liu, description accompanying Figs. 11 and 14; claims 11–16. Chen supplies the forwarding processor.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to implement Liu’s geographic-region forwarding decision using Manolakos’s known zone IDs, and to forward when the source-message zone and receiving-UE zone differ, because the zone-ID comparison is a compact, already-available representation of the geographic boundary Liu uses to extend the message into the next region.
Regarding claim 30, claim 30 recites: “The UE of claim 26, wherein, to determine whether to forward the portion of the first message, the at least one processor is further configured to execute the processor-readable code to cause the at least one processor to:”
Mapping and paragraph explanation: Manolakos discloses source/transmitter zone information and calculation of the distance between transmitter and receiver. Manolakos ¶¶ 7, 10, 12–18, 203–209. Liu discloses that the source location is included in the forwarded message, each receiving vehicle calculates its distance to that source location, and a vehicle outside the source vehicle’s transmission range forwards the message to the next hop. Liu, Fig. 14 and its accompanying description; claim 16. Liu further defines a warning zone outside one communication radius and within two communication radii. Liu, description accompanying Fig. 11; claims 11–16. Chen discloses multi-hop sidelink relaying to extend communication to out-of-coverage UEs. Chen ¶¶ 31–36, 42–56.
Limitation 2: “determining whether to forward the portion of the first message includes performing a comparison based on the zone ID and a range threshold, the zone ID is associated with a source device that generated the first coordination information or of a device that transmitted the first message to forwarded the first coordination information to the UE, the portion determined to be forwarded based on a distance between the UE and location associated with the zone ID being greater than or equal to the range threshold.”
Manolakos discloses source/transmitter zone information and calculation of the distance between transmitter and receiver. Manolakos ¶¶ 7, 10, 12–18, 203–209. Liu discloses that the source location is included in the forwarded message, each receiving vehicle calculates its distance to that source location, and a vehicle outside the source vehicle’s transmission range forwards the message to the next hop. Liu, Fig. 14 and its accompanying description; claim 16. Liu further defines a warning zone outside one communication radius and within two communication radii. Liu, description accompanying Fig. 11; claims 11–16. Chen discloses multi-hop sidelink relaying to extend communication to out-of-coverage UEs. Chen ¶¶ 31–36, 42–56.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to use Manolakos’s source zone ID to obtain the source-zone location and apply Liu’s express outside-transmission-range forwarding rule to the SL-PRS coordination message. Treating “outside the transmission range” as distance greater than or equal to the configured range threshold directly produces the claimed boundary-triggered forwarding and predictably extends the coordination message into the next coverage region.
Conclusion
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/ANGEL T BROCKMAN/Examiner, Art Unit 2412
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