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 .
Specification
Applicant is reminded of the proper language and format for an abstract of the disclosure.
The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph on a separate sheet within the range of 50 to 150 words in length. The abstract should describe the disclosure sufficiently to assist readers in deciding whether there is a need for consulting the full patent text for details.
The language should be clear and concise and should not repeat information given in the title. It should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as, “The disclosure concerns,” “The disclosure defined by this invention,” “The disclosure describes,” etc. In addition, the form and legal phraseology often used in patent claims, such as “means” and “said,” should be avoided.
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because it uses phrases that can be implied: (1) Disclosed are … (1st sentence) (2) In an aspect…. (1st line). A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
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)(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 - 6, 8 - 10, 12 - 21, 29 – 30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by WO2022031856A1 (hereafter WO856; which has been provided in the International Search Report).
Regarding claim 1, WO856 discloses a reference sensing node (Abstract; wherein the reference sensing node is interpreted as the device equipped target object; [0007]; claim 1), comprising:
one or more memories (claim 1);
one or more transceivers (claim 1);
and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers (claim 1), the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, configured to:
receive, via the one or more transceivers, a sensing reference signal from a transmitter sensing node, wherein the sensing reference signal is configured according to a first set of parameters ([0007]; [0174]; claim 1 discloses “… receive, via the at least one transceiver, a radio frequency (RF) sensing signal from a transmitter device, ..”; 1st set of parameters will be inherent e.g. transmit power. This also follows from [0124], [0187], [0188] as disclosed below since the RF response signal can be distinguishable i.e. have a different set of parameters, hence a 1st set of parameters is inherent);
and transmit, via the one or more transceivers, to a receiver sensing node (Fig. 6, step 630; wherein the receiver sensing node is sensing device 606; [0124]), a modified version of the sensing reference signal, wherein the modified version of the sensing reference signal is configured according to a second set of parameters ([0124][ discloses “As described herein, the one or more RF sensing response signals may be configured to mimic reflections of the RF sensing signal(s) transmitted by the transmitter device 602 or may be configured to be distinguishable from the RF sensing signal(s) transmitted by the transmitter device 602”; [0187] & [0188] disclose configuration parameters for the RF sensing response signal e.g. transmit power control parameter, etc.), and wherein the modified version of the sensing reference signal is transmitted according to a configured reception-to-transmission (Rx-Tx) time difference between reception of the sensing reference signal and transmission of the modified version of the sensing reference signal ([0179] discloses “..the device-equipped target object transmits the RF sensing response signal a threshold period of time after reception of the RF sensing signal.”).
Regarding claim 2, WO856 discloses the second set of parameters indicate one or more properties of a target object (claim 2 discloses “..the RF sensing response
signal is a device-specific RF sensing signal, and one or more of: an identifier of the device-equipped target object is included in the device specific RF sensing signal,…”).
Regarding claim 3, WO856 discloses the one or more properties of the target object indicated by the second set of parameters of the modified version of the sensing reference signal include: a radar cross section (RCS) of the target object, a Doppler of the target object, a micro Doppler of the target object, a range of the target object, an angle of the target object, a type of the target object, or any combination thereof (claim 2 discloses “…an identifier of the device-equipped target object is included in the device specific RF sensing signal,…”; hence type will be known).
Regarding claim 4, WO856 discloses the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, a request to configure the modified version of the sensing reference signal to indicate the one or more properties of the target object ([0187] discloses “…receiving one or more configuration parameters for the RF sensing response signal”; wherein the request is inherent since the configuration parameters are received).
Regarding claim 5, WO856 discloses the request is received from: a sensing server, or the receiver sensing node ([0206]; [0208]; wherein the sensing srver is interpreted as the serving base station).
Regarding claim 6, WO856 discloses transmission of the modified version of the sensing reference signal is triggered based on:
the receiver sensing node being configured to perform a bistatic sensing procedure with the transmitter sensing node (Fig. 4B; [0100]; [0111] – [0112])
a range error associated with the target object being greater than a range error threshold,
a Doppler error associated with the target object being greater than a Doppler error threshold,
an angle error associated with the target object being greater than an angle error threshold,
or any combination thereof.
Regarding claim 8, WO856 discloses the transmitter sensing node is a base station or a component of the base station, and the sensing reference signal is a downlink reference signal ([0123] discloses “Where the transmitter device 602 is a base station, the one or more RF sensing signals may be downlink RF sensing signals”).
Regarding claim 9, WO856 discloses the transmitter sensing node is a user equipment (UE), and the sensing reference signal is an uplink reference signal ([0123] discloses “Where the transmitter device 602 is a UE, the one or more RF sensing signals may be uplink RF sensing signals.”).
Regarding claim 10, WO856 discloses the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to
transmit, via the one or more transceivers, to a sensing entity, one or more capabilities of the reference sensing node, the one or more capabilities of the reference sensing node including one or more Rx-Tx time difference values supported by the reference sensing node (claim 10 discloses capabilities in configuration messages).
Claim 12 is similarly analyzed as in claim 1, with the following correspondences and additional limitations:
Receiver sensing node in claim 12 is the same as that in claim 1 and corresponds to Fig. 6, sensing device 606
The additional limitation: “receive, via the one or more transceivers, a sensing reference signal from a transmitter sensing node, the sensing reference signal configured according to a first set of parameters;” is disclosed by WO856 (Fig. 6, direct signal from 602 to 606 i.e. 610 shows two outputs, upper one is the direct signal
Regarding claim 13, WO856 discloses the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to:
perform one or more calibration operations based on reception of the sensing reference signal and the modified version of the sensing reference signal ([0149] discloses “In this case, the one or more configuration messages 930 may enable the second device 952 to receive the SWUS 932, the sensing signal 934, or both, such as by tuning the transceiver 980 based on one or more resources indicated by the one or more configuration messages 930.”; wherein the calibration operation is interpreted as tuning the transceiver .. based on resources .. indicated in the configuration messages).
Regarding claim 14, WO856 discloses the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to:
receive, via the one or more transceivers, the Rx-Tx time difference from a sensing server, a serving base station, or the reference sensing node ([0120] discloses “There are various ways to configure the device-equipped target object-assisted sensing described herein…….. It may also be broadcast by base stations in system information, such as SIB, positioning SIB (posSIB) (which includes a configuration of PRS, location of TRP, measurement gap, etc.), etc.). The configuration parameters may include the transmit power control and threshold parameters discussed above, the timing of active response signals (e.g., how long after receiving a sensing signal a device-equipped target object should send the response signal),…”).
Regarding claim 15, WO856 discloses the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to:
transmit, via the one or more transceivers, a sensing report including one or more sensing results associated with the modified version of the sensing reference signal ([0037] discloses “…the serving base station receiving the measurement report from the UE and a neighbor base station whose reference radio frequency (RF) signals the UE is measuring….”; wherein the report will be based on both signals sensing device 606 receives from element 630 and directly from element 610 in Fig. 6).
Regarding claim 16, WO856 discloses the one or more sensing results include:
a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement between a reception time of the sensing reference signal and the modified version of the sensing reference signal,
an angle of the target object determined based on the modified version of the sensing reference signal,
a Doppler measurement of the target object determined based on the modified version of the sensing reference signal ([0050] discloses estimation of Doppler shift),
a radar cross section (RCS) of the target object determined based on the modified version of the sensing reference signal, or any combination thereof.
Regarding claim 17, WO856 discloses the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to:
transmit, via the one or more transceivers, a request to configure the modified version of the sensing reference signal to indicate the one or more properties of the target object (claim 2 discloses “…an identifier of the device-equipped target object is included in the device specific RF sensing signal,…”; ([0187] discloses “…receiving one or more configuration parameters for the RF sensing response signal”; wherein the request is inherent since the configuration parameters are received).
Claim 18 is similarly analyzed as claim 6, with claim 18 reciting equivalent reception operations.
Claim 19 is similarly analyzed as claim 8, with the additional limitation “the receiver sensing node is a user equipment (UE),”, also disclosed by WO856 ([0122]).
Claim 20 is similarly analyzed as claim 9, with the additional limitation “the receiver sensing node is a base station or a component of the base station”, also disclosed by WO856 ([0122]).
Regarding claim 21, WO856 discloses the transmitter sensing node is a first user equipment (UE), the receiver sensing node is a second UE, and the sensing reference signal is a sidelink reference signal ([0060]).
Claim 29 is similarly analyzed as in claim 1, with claim 29 reciting equivalent method limitations.
Claim 30 is similarly analyzed as claim 2.
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 7, 11, 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WO2022031856A1 (hereafter WO856; which has been provided in the International Search Report) in view of Vrzic et al. (US 20140315593 A1).
Regarding claim 7, WO856 does not disclose the reference sensing node is deployed at a cell edge.
In the same field of endeavor, however, Vrzic discloses the reference sensing node is deployed at a cell edge ([0043]; [0050]; Fig. 1).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to use the method, as disclosed by Vrzic, in the system of WO856 because this would allow one to “… obtain information for sharing spectrum,..”, as disclosed by Vrzic ([0043]) or “… provide sensing measurements to a secondary transmitter 140….” (Vrzic [0050]).
Regarding claim 11, WO856 does not explicitly state that the reference sensing node is a positioning reference unit (PRU).
However, WO856 discloses “Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., when transmitting signals to UEs) and/or as a location measurement unit (e.g., when receiving and measuring signals from UEs).” ([0038]). Hence, the base station can be interpreted as a PRU since base stations are fixed and their locations known.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to use the base station as a PRU, since the base station location is known and can be used in determining the location of the receiver sensing node.
Claim 22 is similarly analyzed as claim 11, with the reference sensing node being a base station as in claim 11.
Claims 23 - 28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
WO2022031856A1 (hereafter WO856; which has been provided in the International Search Report).
Regarding claim 23, WO856 discloses a reference sensing node (Abstract; wherein the reference sensing node is interpreted as the device equipped target object; [0007]; claim 1), comprising:
one or more memories (claim 1);
one or more transceivers (claim 1);
and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers (claim 1), the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, configured to:
receive, via the one or more transceivers, from a network node, one or more repetitions of a periodically transmitted reference signal ([0007]; [0174]; claim 1 discloses “… receive, via the at least one transceiver, a radio frequency (RF) sensing signal from a transmitter device, ..”; wherein one reference signal is transmitted. Sending more repetitions is obvious to try or an obvious variation under Rationales for Obviousness (MPEP 2143, Rationales E & F));
and transmit, via the one or more transceivers, to one or more receiver sensing nodes, a wakeup signal wherein the detection of the target object is based on reception of the one or more repetitions of the periodically transmitted reference signal ([0009] discloses sending a wakeup signal SWUS; [0142]; [0165]; Abstract, last sentence discloses “The sensing device detects a presence of the device-equipped target object in the environment of the sensing device based at least on the RF sensing response signal.”; Fig. 6, block 660; [0126] – [0127]).
WO856 does not explicitly disclose the wakeup signal is sent based on detection of a target object.
However, this is obvious to try (Rationales for Obviousness (MPEP 2143, Rationale E), since it is a timing issue if when the wakeup signal is sent. One of ordinary skill in the art can easily modify WO856’s invention to send a wakeup signal after the target object is detected.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to send more repetitions of the reference signal and send a wakeup signal after the target is detected as sending more repetitions would increase accuracy of the target object detection and sending a wakeup signal would activate another device to take any further action.
Regarding claim 24, WO856 discloses the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to:
transmit, via the one or more transceivers, to a sensing server, one or more sensing results reports based on reception of the one or more repetitions of the periodically transmitted reference signal. ([0037] discloses “…the serving base station receiving the measurement report from the UE and a neighbor base station whose reference radio frequency (RF) signals the UE is measuring….”; wherein the report will be based on both signals sensing device 606 receives from element 630 and directly from element 610 in Fig. 6). Repetitions analyzed as in claim 23.
Regarding claim 25, WO856 discloses the periodically transmitted reference signal comprises:
a tracking reference signal (TRS), a synchronization signal block (SSB), or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) ([0052] discloses “For example, a UE may use a particular receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station.”).
Regarding claim 26, WO856 discloses the one or more receiver sensing nodes are one or more user equipments (UEs) (([0123] discloses “Where the transmitter device 602 is a base station, the one or more RF sensing signals may be downlink RF sensing signals”; receiver sensing node is a UE since downlink).
Regarding claim 27, WO856 discloses the network node is a base station or a component of the base station (([0123] discloses “Where the transmitter device 602 is a base station, the one or more RF sensing signals may be downlink RF sensing signals”).
Regarding claim 28, WO856 does not explicitly state that the reference sensing node is a positioning reference unit (PRU).
However, WO856 discloses “Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., when transmitting signals to UEs) and/or as a location measurement unit (e.g., when receiving and measuring signals from UEs).” ([0038]). Hence, the base station can be interpreted as a PRU since base stations are fixed and their locations known.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to use the base station as a PRU, since the base station location is known and can be used in determining the location of the receiver sensing node.
Other Prior Art Cited
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to the applicant’s disclosure.
The following patents/publications are cited to further show the state of the art with respect to reference nodes used for sensing in cellular systems:
Agrawal et al. (US 10701531 B2) discloses Environmental Sensing with Wireless Communication Devices.
Zorgui et al. (US 20240179628 A1) discloses techniques for Sensing Wakeup Signal.
Nam et al. (US-20250203516A1) is PGPUB version of WO856.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ADOLF DSOUZA whose telephone number is (571)272-1043. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 9 AM - 5 PM.
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/ADOLF DSOUZA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2632
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