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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This action is responsive to the Application filed on 10/09/2024
Claims 1-20 are pending in the case. Claims 1 and 16 are independent claims.
This application claims domestic priority from provisional application PCT/SE2022/050666 filed on 07/01/2022.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 04/12/2026 was filed after the mailing date of the 10/09/2024. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Interpretation
Examiner notes in claims 1 and 16 the claim limitation, “where the wireless device has transmitted a signal sequence to a network node via two or more signal paths” has been written in a way such that it has no patentable weight. Examiner suggests to amend the claim in the following way to give this limitation patentable weight, “transmitting a signal sequence from a wireless device to a network node via two or more signal paths”
For the purposes of compact prosecution, this limitation will be treated as if it has patentable weight.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-2, 4-7, 10-17, and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 over Tsai et al, U.S. Patent Publication No. 20090310505, published on 2009-12-17 (hereinafter Tsai) in view of Mathews et al, U.S. Patent Publication No. 20120086606, published on 2012-04-12 (hereinafter Mathews).
As for independent claim 1, Tsai discloses a system and method comprising the wireless device has transmitted a signal sequence to a network node via two or more signal paths
(Tsai paragraphs [0032] and [0052] disclose a UE (wireless device) second a signal to a receiver unit (network node) three different times with different distances (inferring different paths), “The analog uplink signal from UE 201 is received by antenna 140 and processed by a receiver unit…every three consecutive measurements of LOS distance between the mobile station and individual base stations yield an estimate of mobile station velocity which is supposed to be the same across base stations. In equations 5 through 9, .DELTA.t is the next time increment from time t, and D is the LOS distance measurement.”)
obtaining data indicative of direction of departure of the two or more signal paths at the wireless device
(Tsai paragraph [0052] discloses the LOS measurements being used to DoD (called AOA or angle of arrival) data, “However, the AOA measurements will be different for individual base stations, and will be varying when the mobile station moves, as shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 7 illustrates an example of Angle of Arrival (AOA) from individual base stations. And, the AOA measurements can be further derived using Equations 10 through 12.”)
Tsai does not appear to disclose obtaining data indicative of a Doppler speed difference between respective multipath components of the signal sequence transmitted via the two or more signal paths and estimating the travelling speed of the wireless device based on the data indicative of the Doppler speed difference and the data indicative of DoD.
However, Mathews does disclose a system and method comprising obtaining data indicative of a Doppler speed difference between respective multipath components of the signal sequence transmitted via the two or more signal paths
(Mathews paragraphs [0161] and [0162] disclose receiving multiple signals in a multipath and using the difference in Doppler speed (called Doppler shift and the difference is width) hence it is data indicative of Doppler speed difference, “the spectral line has broadened with power being spread away from the center, which is caused by interception of multiple signal paths due to the multipath conditions around the intercepting device. … In a complex multipath environment, the maximum observed Doppler shift is a measurement of the actual velocity and will be insensitive to direction…. Referring to graphs 503 and 504, the observed Doppler broadening for the case of 1.5 msec motion is about 42 Hz for the 1936 MHz signal and a width of about 19 Hz for the 869 MHz signal. To obtain the speed for the device given the Doppler broadening is accomplished by the following equation.”)
estimating the travelling speed of the wireless device based on the data indicative of the Doppler speed difference and the data indicative of DoD.
(Mathews paragraph [0134] discloses the physical state (which includes speed) of a mobile device being determined based on Doppler speed and direction observables, “The Doppler Frequency Shift Data 221 is then processed by step 203 given consideration of the Configuration Data 225, which includes current physical state estimates, producing Doppler Speed and Direction 222 observables with associated measurement uncertainties. Depending on the number of signals and Doppler shift detection methods used in step 202, directional observables may be limited or unavailable. The speed observables are the primary value in that they provide a definitive indication and rate of motion. Observables 222 are then used to update the physical state estimate using Doppler Update 204. The particular method of update is dependent upon the estimator used.”; Mathews paragraph [0083] “Doppler frequency observations by means of high resolution spectral analysis in combination with inertial sensors to produce an estimate of a physical state of the device. The physical state includes position, speed and direction.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the speed estimator of Mathews adding a different calculation method to the speed estimator of Tsai in order to take better advantage of existing signals without significant modification of existing structure.
As for claim 2, the limitations of the parent claim 1 have been discussed. Tsai discloses a system and method wherein the signal sequence has been transmitted at two or more time instances.
(Tsai paragraph [0052] discloses the base station receiving measurements (via signal) at three different times, “every three consecutive measurements of LOS distance between the mobile station and individual base stations yield an estimate of mobile station velocity which is supposed to be the same across base stations. In equations 5 through 9, .DELTA.t is the next time increment from time t, and D is the LOS distance measurement.”)
As for claim 4, the limitations of the parent claim 1 have been discussed. Mathews discloses a system and method wherein the data indicative of the Doppler speed difference is obtained based on multipath components of the signal sequence received by the network node.
(Mathews paragraphs [0161] and [0162] disclose receiving multiple signals by a network node (called an intercepting device) in a multipath and using the difference in Doppler speed (called Doppler shift and the difference is width) hence it is data indicative of Doppler speed difference, “the spectral line has broadened with power being spread away from the center, which is caused by interception of multiple signal paths due to the multipath conditions around the intercepting device. … In a complex multipath environment, the maximum observed Doppler shift is a measurement of the actual velocity and will be insensitive to direction…. Referring to graphs 503 and 504, the observed Doppler broadening for the case of 1.5 msec motion is about 42 Hz for the 1936 MHz signal and a width of about 19 Hz for the 869 MHz signal. To obtain the speed for the device given the Doppler broadening is accomplished by the following equation.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the speed estimator of Mathews adding a different calculation method to the speed estimator of Tsai in order to take better advantage of existing signals without significant modification of existing structure.
As for claim 5, the limitations of the parent claim 1 have been discussed. Tsai discloses a system and method wherein the data indicative of DoD is obtained based on signal characteristics of multipath components of the signal sequence received by the network node.
(Tsai paragraph [0052] discloses the angle of arrival (which is data indicative of DoD) being obtained with the signal characteristics, called LOS measurements, and it is shown explicitly the AOA being derived from the LOS measurements in equations 10-12 of Tsai, “However, the AOA measurements will be different for individual base stations, and will be varying when the mobile station moves, as shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 7 illustrates an example of Angle of Arrival (AOA) from individual base stations. And, the AOA measurements can be further derived using Equations 10 through 12.”)
As for claim 6, the limitations of the parent claim 5 have been discussed. Tsai discloses a system and method wherein the signal characteristics comprise direction of arrival, DoA, and/or time of arrival, ToA.
(Tsai paragraph [0047] discloses the signal have angle of arrival (equivalent to DoA) and ToA, “In one aspect, the multi-sector velocity and Doppler frequency estimation approach includes one or more of the following: (1) diversity combining in estimation of mobile station velocity and Doppler frequency, (2) observation of signal time-of-arrival (TOA)… (6) angle of arrival (AOA) measurements of forward link signal at the mobile station from individual base stations to derive the Doppler frequency with same accuracy and reliability as that of mobile station velocity estimate”)
As for claim 7, the limitations of the parent claim 1 have been discussed. Tsai discloses a system and method wherein the data indicative of DoD is obtained based on a relative position between the wireless device and the network node.
(Tsai paragraph [0052] discloses the AoA (data indicative of DoD) being dependent on the relative position, “measurements of LOS distance between the mobile station and individual base stations… However, the AOA measurements will be different for individual base stations, and will be varying when the mobile station moves, as shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 7 illustrates an example of Angle of Arrival (AOA) from individual base stations. And, the AOA measurements can be further derived using Equations 10 through 12.”)
As for claim 10, the limitations of the parent claim 1 have been discussed. Tsai discloses a system and method wherein the wireless device has transmitted the signal sequence to the network node via at least three signal paths.
(Tsai paragraph [0052] disclose three signal measurements, “every three consecutive measurements of LOS distance between the mobile station and individual base stations yield an estimate of mobile station velocity which is supposed to be the same across base stations.”)
As for claim 11, the limitations of the parent claim 1 have been discussed. Mathews discloses a system and method comprising obtaining data indicative of a direction in which the wireless device is travelling and estimating the travelling speed of the wireless device based on the data indicative of a direction in which the wireless device is travelling.
(Mathews paragraphs [0167] and [0168] disclose finding the speed of the device based on the direction of travel, “In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, actual speed of the device can be accomplished in several ways, including: using the Doppler broadening technique for signals experiencing moderate multipath, calibrated values from the accelerometer data that will limit the maximum velocity in the first few seconds of motion, and repeatedly solving for the angle of the signal source over time using multiple observations. The technique of determining the approximate angle of arrival for a signal using Doppler shift information requires that the direction of travel be monitored continuously such that multiple observations of a signal source can be related to each other over time. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, compass data provides this function. The compass keeps track of the direction of travel in conjunction with both the Doppler velocity observables and accelerometer observables. The compass data are used to estimate the direction of a signal source in the fixed local coordinate system attached to the frame of the accelerometers.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the speed estimator of Mathews adding a different calculation method to the speed estimator of Tsai in order to take better advantage of existing signals without significant modification of existing structure.
As for claim 12, the limitations of the parent claim 11 have been discussed. Mathews discloses a system and method wherein the data indicative of a direction in which the wireless device is travelling is obtained from map data indicative of an environment around the wireless device.
(Mathews paragraph [0052] discloses using physical state estimates (which includes speed and direction of travel) in conjunction with a map of the environment, “‘Map Matching’ means algorithms to correlate physical state estimates with physical constraints imposed by the local environment. The physical state estimates are analyzed relative to the current map information stored in the map cache to verify or determine the current path traversed. A maximum likelihood estimator is used to compare the physical state estimates with physical corridors and passageways within a structure to verify that the indicated device position does not pass through walls.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the speed estimator of Mathews adding a different calculation method to the speed estimator of Tsai in order to take better advantage of existing signals without significant modification of existing structure.
As for claim 13, the limitations of the parent claim 11 have been discussed. Mathews discloses a system and method wherein the data indicative of a direction in which the wireless device is travelling is obtained from historical position data indicative of one or more previous positions of the wireless device.
(Mathews paragraph [0168] discloses the direction of travel being derived using multiple measurements made over time, “The technique of determining the approximate angle of arrival for a signal using Doppler shift information requires that the direction of travel be monitored continuously such that multiple observations of a signal source can be related to each other over time. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, compass data provides this function. The compass keeps track of the direction of travel in conjunction with both the Doppler velocity observables and accelerometer observables. The compass data are used to estimate the direction of a signal source in the fixed local coordinate system attached to the frame of the accelerometers.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the speed estimator of Mathews adding a different calculation method to the speed estimator of Tsai in order to take better advantage of existing signals without significant modification of existing structure.
As for claim 14, the limitations of the parent claim 1 have been discussed. Tsai discloses a system and method wherein one signal path is line-of-sight, LoS.
(Tsai paragraph [00508] discloses the signals being LoS measurements, “using the plurality of LOS distance measurements; instructions for determining a plurality of Doppler frequency estimates using the plurality of velocity estimates and the plurality of angle of arrival (AOA) estimates”)
As for claim 15, the limitation of the parent claim 1 have been discussed. Mathews discloses a system and method wherein one signal path comprises a predetermined area of reflection.
(Mathews paragraph [0053] discloses the RF signal going through a predefined area (a modern urban building) and is reflected over multiple objects, “‘Multipath’ means an RF signal propagation environment occurring when the path between the emitter and the receiver involves RF signal reflectors (metal objects larger than an RF wavelength) such that the resultant received signal will not have traveled a rectilinear path from emitter to receiver. Of particular interest is the situation of modern urban buildings where many such metallic reflective objects exist such as structural steel supports, air conditioning sheet metal duct-work and vapor deposited metallic window coatings.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the speed estimator of Mathews adding a different calculation method to the speed estimator of Tsai in order to take better advantage of existing signals without significant modification of existing structure.
As for independent claim 16, claim 16 reflects a system for implementing the method of claim 1 and is rejected alongside the same rationale.
As for claim 17, the limitations of the parent claim 16 have been discussed. Claim 17 reflects a system for implementing the method of claim 2 and is rejected alongside the same rationale.
As for claim 19, the limitations of the parent claim 16 have been discussed. Claim 19 reflects a system for implementing the method of claim 4 and is rejected alongside the same rationale.
As for claim 20, the limitations of the parent claim 16 have been discussed. Claim 20 reflects a system for implementing the method of claim 5 and is rejected alongside the same rationale.
Claims 3 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 over Tsai in view of Mathews in further view of Yang et al, U.S. Patent Publication No. 20190130762, published on 2019-05-02 (hereinafter Yang).
As for claim 3, the limitations of the parent claim have been discussed. Yang discloses a system and method wherein the signal sequence comprises a sounding reference signal, SRS and/or a demodulation reference signal, DMRS.
(Yang paragraph [0059] discloses estimating Doppler frequency using a DMRS, “FIG. 5 is an illustration of an example framework 500 for estimating Doppler frequency shift. The framework 500 illustrates example control channels 502a, 502b, example data channels 504, 506, and example resource elements 508, 510. The framework 500 is an example frame structure of an OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) based wireless communication system. The data channels 504, 506 carry demodulation reference signals (DMRS) the resource elements 508, 510, and data resource elements. The DMRS signals are used to estimate the channel for decoding of the data. The example receiver 112 and/or the example validator 114 of FIG. 1 utilizes the DMRS signals for estimating the Doppler frequency shift as well. Thus, the usage of the framework 500 incurs no additional overhead.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the speed estimator of Yang adding a different signal type to the speed estimator of Tsai and Mathews in order to have a more versatile system with no additional overhead.
As for claim 18, the limitations of the parent claim 16 have been discussed. Claim 18 reflects a system for implementing the method of claim 3 and is rejected alongside the same rationale.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 over Tsai in view of Mathews in further view of Fox et al, U.S. Patent Publication No. 20190222239, published on 2019-07-18 (hereinafter Fox).
As for claim 8, the limitations of the parent claim 7 have been discussed. Fox discloses a system and method wherein the relative position is obtained based on global navigation satellite system, GNSS, data indicative of a position of the wireless device.
(Fox paragraph [0049] discloses finding the position based on GNSS data and using that to find velocity, “In some embodiments, the compensation circuitry 225 may be configured to determine the velocity at which the platform and the UE 110 located on the platform are travelling based on the positioning and timing signals received from the GNSS receiver”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the speed estimator of Fox adding a different signal type to the speed estimator of Tsai and Mathews in order to have a more versatile system.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 over Tsai in view of Mathews in further view of Dulberg et al, U.S. Patent Publication No. 20200242922, published on 2020-07-30 (hereinafter Dulberg).
As for claim 9, the limitations of the parent claim 7 have been discussed. Dulberg discloses a system and method wherein the relative position is obtained based on fingerprinting-based positioning using multipath components of the signal sequence received by the network node.
(Dulberg paragraph [0106] discloses identifying the finger prints of a signal and calculating the signals for that identified signal, “A system in accordance with the present disclosure may be configured to analyze the detected non-reflected electromagnetic emissions to identify an electromagnetic fingerprint for each road user. The term “electromagnetic fingerprint” or “electromagnetic waveform” refers to any information derivable from the detected electromagnetic emissions of a road user that can uniquely identify the road user or at least some equipment component, subpart, etc. associated with the road user. … The system may calculate the values using the Doppler Effect, the phase difference, or the time difference of non-reflected electromagnetic emissions, among other characteristics.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the speed estimator of Dulberg adding a different calculation method to the speed estimator of Tsai and Mathews in order to have a system that works with multiple devices while maintaining accuracy.
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Demirdag et al, U.S. Patent Publication No. 20180206075 discloses finding position and velocity of mobile device based on signals with doppler correction in paragraphs [0081]-[0090].
Lane et al, U.S. Patent Publication No. 7991362 discloses calculating Doppler corrections based on signals from both GPS and DFRM signals in Col 7 Line 16 – Col 8 Line 35.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN C LAWRENCE whose telephone number is (571)272-9833. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:30am-5pm.
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/JOHN CALEB LAWRENCE/ Examiner, Art Unit 2646
/JEANETTE J PARKER/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2646
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