Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 27, 2026
Application No. 18/926,801

SIGNALING OF ENVIRONMENT INFORMATION FROM A SENSING COMPONENT

Non-Final OA §103§112
Filed
Oct 25, 2024
Examiner
CLAWSON, STEPHEN J
Art Unit
2461
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Qualcomm Incorporated
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
79%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
10m
Est. Remaining
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 79% — above average
79%
Career Allowance Rate
548 granted / 690 resolved
+21.4% vs TC avg
Strong +18% interview lift
Without
With
+18.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 10m
Avg Prosecution
25 currently pending
Career history
729
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
7.7%
-32.3% vs TC avg
§103
47.8%
+7.8% vs TC avg
§102
10.2%
-29.8% vs TC avg
§112
28.0%
-12.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 690 resolved cases

Office Action

§103 §112
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 Objections Claim 21 is objected to because of the following informalities: claim 21 recites ‘corresponds a sensing…’ It is believed this should read ‘corresponds to…’ Please review all of your claims for grammatical and spelling errors. Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. Claims 4, 5, 17, 18-28, 26, 30 are under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Regarding claim 4, claim 4 recites ‘the first RAT’. There is lack of antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Regarding claim 5, claim 5 recites in the penultimate line ‘…the sensing management component…’ There is lack of antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Regarding claim 17, claim 17 recites ‘…in response to the environment information request…’ Claim 16 refers to ‘an initial environment information request’ Therefore it is not clear if this is the request or some other request. Regarding claims 18-28, claim 18 recites ‘…determine environment information associated wireless node…’ This is grammatically incorrect. Do you mean ‘associated with the wireless node’ or something else? Claims 19-28 do not cure the deficiencies of claim 18 and are rejected for similar reasons. Regarding claim 26, claim 26 recites ‘a capability of the device to perform on-demand environment measurements…’ Claim 25 recites ‘an indication of capability information of the sensing component…’ However, claim 18 recites ‘the device’ and the sensing component’ are different claimed roles. That is claim 26 is indefinite because ‘the capability information’ is defined in claim 25 as capability information of the sensing component, whereas claim 26 recites that the same capability information comprises ‘a capability of the device’. It is therefore unclear whether the claimed capability belongs to the sensing component or to the separate device to which the sensing component provides environment information. Regarding claim 30, claim 30 recites ‘…determining environment information associated wireless node…’ This is grammatically incorrect. Do you mean ‘associated with the wireless node’ or something else? Please review all of your claims. 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. Claims 1-8, 10-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zorgui (2023/0280454) and further in view of Choi (2022/0069958). Regarding claim 1, Zorgui discloses a device, comprising: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, being configured to: (See Zorgui fig. 11; processor executing an algorithm stored in memory and transceiver) transmit, via the one or more transceivers, an information request; (See Zorgui fig. 7; SnMF causes RF sensing activity at wireless node, box 735, 740, 745, 755, 760; para. 146; SnMF query transmitting and receiving node, including parameters such as receive/transmit direction, frequency timing, and transmit power; see also para. 141) receive, via the one or more transceivers, from a sensing component in response to the environment information request, information associated with a wireless node; and (See Zorgui fig. 7; SnMF causes RF sensing activity at wireless node and device provides a response, box 745, 755, 760; para. 147-149; SnMF receives RF signal metrics (e.g. information) and/or sends object properties and sensing report (e.g. information)) Zorgui does not explicitly disclose receiving environmental information and perform one or more actions related to a measurement session based on the environment information. However, Choi does disclose receiving environmental information and perform one or more actions related to a measurement session based on the environment information. (See Choi fig. 5A; detecting environmental conditions (e.g. environmental information) and sending to network the environmental information to make adjustments to PRS (e.g. performing an action based upon the environment information; see also para. 106-110) Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the apparatus of Zorgui to include the teaching of receiving environmental information and perform one or more actions related to a measurement session based on the environment information of Choi with the motivation being to adapt PRS bandwidth according to environmental conditions thereby narrowing PRS bandwidth when conditions permit which reduces power consumption (See Choi para. 117) and further to save limited wireless resources which could be scheduled for other transmissions and other devices. Regarding claim 2, Zorgui in view of Choi discloses the device of claim 1, wherein the wireless node corresponds to a user equipment (UE) or a wireless network component. (See Zorgui para. 142; wireless node maybe UE or base station, CU, DU, or other wireless node within RAN (e.g. wireless network component)) Regarding claim 3, Zorgui in view of Choi discloses the device of claim 1, wherein the device corresponds to the wireless node, a user equipment (UE), a wireless network component, a position estimation entity, a location management function (LMF), a location server, or a combination thereof. (See Zorgui para. 111; SnMF can be combined in LMF; core network, AF, SnMF, LMF, AMF, enbs; see also fig. 4a,b) Regarding claim 4, Zorgui in view of Choi discloses the device of claim 1, wherein the sensing component corresponds to a sensing management component associated with a first network corresponding to a first radio access technology (RAT), or (See Zorgui fig. 6, para. 138; SnMC, sensing management component; para. 6; RAN; para. 3; 5G NR (e.g. RAT)) wherein the sensing component corresponds to a sensing node associated with a second network corresponding to a second RAT that is different than the first RAT. Regarding claim 5, Zorgui in view of Choi discloses the device of claim 1, wherein the environment information request is transmitted to the sensing component, or (See Zorgui para. 141; SnMC receives the sensing query from the SnMF) wherein the environment information request is transmitted to a sensing management component that is separate from the sensing component, or (See Zorgui para. 141; SnMC receives the sensing query from the SnMF) wherein the environment information request is transmitted to a network component that is separate from the sensing component and the sensing management component. (See Zorgui fig. 3A, B, para. 120; indirect connection) Regarding claim 6, Zorgui in view of Choi discloses the device of claim 1, wherein the environment information request comprises: an area of interest indication, or (See Zorgui para. 113; sensing can concern an object, group of objects or a region) a scheduled environment information time, or any combination thereof. Regarding claim 7, Zorgui in view of Choi discloses the device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, an indication of capability information of the sensing component, wherein the environment information request is based on the capability information. (See Zorgui para. 144, fig. 7; capability exchange and sensing node selection based on capability) Regarding claim 8, Zorgui in view of Choi discloses the device of claim 7, wherein the capability information comprises a capability of the device to perform on-demand environment measurements. (See Zorgui para. 146; queries (e.g. on-demand) measuring receptions; para. 144, fig. 7; capability exchange and sensing node selection based on capability; see also para. 113, 114) Regarding claim 10, Zorgui in view of Choi discloses the device of claim 1, wherein some or all of the environment information is obtained by the sensing component before the environment information request is transmitted, or (See Zorgui para. 113; SnMF may have already determined sensed object properties and notify AF that updated mapping/property info exists. AF then issues sensing query because of notification) wherein some or all of the environment information is obtained by the sensing component via one or more measurement procedures performed in response to the environment information request, or (See Zorgui fig. 7, steps 720-770; sensing query then measurements, object determination and response) a combination thereof. Regarding claim 11, Zorgui in view of Choi discloses the device of claim 1, wherein the environment information comprises: track object size information, or (See Zorgui para. 4; size, length, width, height) track object motion information, or (See Zorgui para. 4; speed, direction) tracking object type information, or reconfigurable intelligence surface (RIS) information, or channel environment information, or an indication of one of a plurality of channel environment quality tiers, or line of sight (LOS) information or non-LOS (NLOS) information, or delay spread information, or angular spread information, or multipath information, or location profile information, or an indication that one or more environment information types are unavailable, or a reason why the one or more environment information types are unavailable, or any combination thereof. Regarding claim 12, Zorgui in view of Choi discloses the device of claim 1, wherein the environment information is wireless node-specific. (See Choi fig. 5A, B; network provided environmental info for a particular UE (e.g. wireless node-specific); see also fig. 6, para. 24) The motivation being to adapt PRS bandwidth according to environmental conditions thereby narrowing PRS bandwidth when conditions permit which reduces power consumption (See Choi para. 117) and further to save limited wireless resources which could be scheduled for other transmissions and other devices. Regarding claim 13, Zorgui in view of Choi discloses the device of claim 1, wherein the measurement session comprises: a position estimation session of a user equipment (UE), or a beam management procedure, or a channel state information (CSI) procedure, or a sensing session of one or more target objects, or (See Zorgui fig. 7, para. 114; a sensing session; para. 113 a request for info about an object (e.g. target)) any combination thereof. Regarding claim 14, Zorgui in view of Choi discloses the device of claim 1, wherein the one or more actions comprises: perform one or more transmissions of one or more first reference signals for positioning (RF-Ps), or perform one or more measurements of one or more second RF-Ps, or (See Choi fig. 5A,B; PRS, positioning reference signal, part 508 (e.g. first RF-P), 520 (e.g. second RF-P)) The motivation being to adapt PRS bandwidth according to environmental conditions thereby narrowing PRS bandwidth when conditions permit which reduces power consumption (See Choi para. 117) and further to save limited wireless resources which could be scheduled for other transmissions and other devices. select an artificial intelligence machine learning model (AIML) model for positioning for generation of one or more inferences based on the one or more measurements, or select an AIML model for sensing for generation of at least one inference based on the one or more measurements, or any combination thereof. Regarding claim 15, Zorgui in view of Choi discloses the device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to: transmit, via the one or more transceivers, in response to the environment information, an environment information availability message; receive, via the one or more transceivers, in response to the environment information availability message, a request for some or all of the environment information; and transmit, via the one or more transceivers, in response to the request, the requested environment information. (See Zorgui para. 113; SnMF has determined sensed-object properties from RAN RF measurements and sends AF an update/notification indicating new property info is available; AF then sends the sensing query in response; see also fig. 7, para. 152-154) Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zorgui (2023/0280454) and further in view of Choi (2022/0069958) and further in view of Mochizuki (2020/0186312). Regarding claim 9, Zorgui in view of Choi discloses the device of claim 7. Zorgui does not explicitly disclose wherein the indication of the capability information is signaled via a sensing system information block (SIB), or wherein the indication of the capability information is signaled via dedicated signaling. However, Mochizuki does disclose wherein the indication of the capability information is signaled via a sensing system information block (SIB), or wherein the indication of the capability information is signaled via dedicated signaling. (See Mochizuki para. 249, 440; capability info signaled using dedicated signaling) Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the apparatus of Zorgui in view of Choi to include the teaching of wherein the indication of the capability information is signaled via a sensing system information block (SIB), or wherein the indication of the capability information is signaled via dedicated signaling of Mochizuki with the motivation being for efficient usage of limited wireless resources by only signaling certain devices and not all devices (which may not be needed) and further for security, integrity and confidentially and further for flexibility for device specific configurations. Claims 16-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zorgui (2023/0280454) and further in view of Choi (2022/0069958) and further in view of Wang (2026/0019792; Continuation of PCT/CN2023/082879 filed 21 March 2023). Regarding claim 16, Zorgui in view of Choi discloses the device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to: wherein the environment information request is transmitted to the sensing component in response to the indication of the set of sensing components. (See Zorgui fig. 7; steps 725, 730, 735, para. 144-146) Zorgui does not explicitly disclose transmit, via the one or more transceivers, an initial environment information request; and receive, via the one or more transceivers, an indication of a set of sensing components capable of providing environment information. However, Wang does disclose transmit, via the one or more transceivers, an initial environment information request; and receive, via the one or more transceivers, an indication of a set of sensing components capable of providing environment information. (See Wang fig. 10, steps 803-807; fig. 7, para. 56, 57; see also para. 52 selection of a sensing node based upon area) Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the apparatus of Zorgui to include the teaching of transmit, via the one or more transceivers, an initial environment information request; and receive, via the one or more transceivers, an indication of a set of sensing components capable of providing environment information of Wang with the motivation being to reduce wasteful control data by focusing on the area and device likely to give the required area data and further to narrow in on the nodes likely to provide the desired data rather than receive data from all nodes which may flood the network with unneeded information and further for efficiency and scalability of sensing. Regarding claim 17, Zorgui in view of Choi in view of Wang discloses the device of claim 16, wherein the indication of the set of sensing components is received in response to the environment information request. (See Wang fig. 10, s805, s806, s807) The motivation being to reduce wasteful control data by focusing on the area and device likely to give the required area data and further to narrow in on the nodes likely to provide the desired data rather than receive data from all nodes which may flood the network with unneeded information and further for efficiency and scalability of sensing. 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. Claims 18, 19, 21, 24, 25, 27, and 28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zorgui (2023/0280454) and further in view of Choi (2022/0069958). Regarding claim 18, Zorgui discloses a sensing component, comprising: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, being configured to: (See Zorgui fig. 7, para 142; wireless node is UE, base station, CU, DU and or any other wireless node within a RAN; fig. 11, 12; processor executing an algorithm stored in memory and transceiver) receive, via the one or more transceivers, an information request; (See Zorgui fig. 7, para. 146; step 735 queries are sent to one or more wireless nodes (e.g. receiving request)) determine information; and (See Zorgui fig. 7, para. 149; step 755 wireless node may identify or otherwise determine properties of the object) transmit, via the one or more transceivers, to a device in response to the environment information request, an indication of the information in association with a measurement session. (See Zorgui fig. 7, option 780-b; para. 149; wireless node may provide sensing report to SnMF) Zorgui does not explicitly disclose an environmental information request and environmental information associated with the wireless node. However, Choi does disclose an environmental information request and environmental information associated with the wireless node. (See Choi fig. 6, para. 121; environmental conditions that have an effect on reception of PRS (e.g. associated with wireless node)) Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the apparatus of Zorgui to include the teaching of an environmental information request and environmental information associated with the wireless node of Choi with the motivation being to adapt PRS bandwidth according to environmental conditions thereby narrowing PRS bandwidth when conditions permit which reduces power consumption (See Choi para. 117) and further to save limited wireless resources which could be scheduled for other transmissions and other devices. Regarding claim 19, Zorgui in view of Choi discloses the sensing component of claim 18, wherein the environment information is obtained before the environment information request is received, or wherein the information is obtained in response to the information request. (See Zorgui fig. 7, para. 146, 149; step 735; RF signal query to wireless node; step 760 wireless node sends report back) an environmental information request. (See Choi fig. 6, para. 121; environmental conditions that have an effect on reception of PRS (e.g. associated with wireless node)) The motivation being to adapt PRS bandwidth according to environmental conditions thereby narrowing PRS bandwidth when conditions permit which reduces power consumption (See Choi para. 117) and further to save limited wireless resources which could be scheduled for other transmissions and other devices. Regarding claim 21, Zorgui in view of Choi discloses the sensing component of claim 18, wherein the sensing component corresponds a sensing management component associated with a first network corresponding to a first radio access technology (RAT). (See Zorgui fig. 6, para. 112, 137; SnMF monitor, control, and manage RF sensing; receives metrics determines properties and sends indication to AF; para. 6; RAN; para. 3; RATs; see also para. 146, 149) Regarding claim 24, Zorgui in view of Choi discloses the sensing component of claim 18, wherein the wireless node corresponds to a user equipment (UE) or a wireless network component, or wherein the device corresponds to the wireless node, a user equipment (UE), a wireless network component, a position estimation entity, a location management function (LMF), a location server, or a combination thereof, or wherein the environment information request comprises: an area of interest indication, or(See Zorgui para. 113; sensing can concern an object, group of objects or a region) a scheduled environment information time, or any combination thereof. Regarding claim 25, Zorgui in view of Choi discloses the sensing component of claim 18, wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to: transmit, via the one or more transceivers, an indication of capability information of the sensing component, wherein the environment information request is based on the capability information. (See Zorgui para. 144, fig. 7; capability exchange and sensing node selection based on capability) Regarding claim 27, Zorgui in view of Choi discloses the sensing component of claim 18, wherein the environment information comprises: track object size information, or (See Zorgui para. 4; size, length, width, height) track object motion information, or (See Zorgui para. 4; speed, direction) tracking object type information, or reconfigurable intelligence surface (RIS) information, or channel environment information, or an indication of one of a plurality of channel environment quality tiers, or line of sight (LOS) information or non-LOS (NLOS) information, or delay spread information, or angular spread information, or multipath information, or location profile information, or an indication that one or more environment information types are unavailable, or a reason why the one or more environment information types are unavailable, or any combination thereof. Regarding claim 28, Zorgui in view of Choi discloses the sensing component of claim 18, wherein the environment information is wireless node-specific, or wherein the measurement session comprises: a position estimation session of a user equipment (UE), or a beam management procedure, or a channel state information (CSI) procedure, or a sensing session of one or more target objects, or (See Zorgui fig. 7, para. 114; a sensing session; para. 113 a request for info about an object (e.g. target)) any combination thereof. Claims 20, 22, and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zorgui (2023/0280454) and further in view of Choi (2022/0069958) and further in view of Edge (2018/0343635). Regarding claim 20, Zorgui in view of Choi discloses the sensing component of claim 18, wherein the environment information request is received from a sensing management component associated with a first network corresponding to a first radio access technology (RAT), and (See Zorgui fig.7, para. 146, 149; SnMF, sensing management function; para. 3; RATs) Zorgui does not explicitly disclose a component corresponding to a node associated with a second network corresponding to a second RAT that is different than the first RAT. However, Edge does disclose a component corresponding to a node associated with a second network corresponding to a second RAT that is different than the first RAT. (See Edge fig. 1; EUTRAN, 4g (e.g. first RAT), 5GC (e.g. 2nd RAT); para. 38; LMF for positioning when UE accesses NG-RAN is on the 5G side; para. 41; LMF sends LPPa message to LTE eNB requesting info from UE including location measurements and measurements returns back to LMF on 5G side; see also para. 54, fig. 4) Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the apparatus of Zorgui to include the teaching of a component corresponding to a node associated with a second network corresponding to a second RAT that is different than the first RAT of Edge with the motivation being enabling location support for 5G access by utilizing existing LTE location support (See Edge para. 4) and further to allow seamless transition to the 5G generation of protocols while still having access to 4G when necessary or desired. Regarding claim 22, Zorgui in view of Choi discloses the sensing component of claim 21, wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to: transmit, via the one or more transceivers, to at least one sensing node associated a sensing session request; and receive, via the one or more transceivers, from the at least one sensing node, the information in response to the sensing session request. (See Zorgui fig. 7, para. 146; queries sent; para. 147; node returns response) Zorgui does not explicitly disclose a component corresponding to a node associated with a second network corresponding to a second RAT that is different than the first RAT. However, Edge does disclose a component corresponding to a node associated with a second network corresponding to a second RAT that is different than the first RAT. (See Edge fig. 1; EUTRAN, 4g (e.g. first RAT), 5GC (e.g. 2nd RAT); para. 38; LMF for positioning when UE accesses NG-RAN is on the 5G side; para. 41; LMF sends LPPa message to LTE eNB requesting info from UE including location measurements and measurements returns back to LMF on 5G side; see also para. 54, fig. 4) Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the apparatus of Zorgui to include the teaching of a component corresponding to a node associated with a second network corresponding to a second RAT that is different than the first RAT of Edge with the motivation being enabling location support for 5G access by utilizing existing LTE location support (See Edge para. 4) and further to allow seamless transition to the 5G generation of protocols while still having access to 4G when necessary or desired. Regarding claim 23, Zorgui in view of Choi in view of Edge discloses the sensing component of claim 22, wherein the at least one sensing node comprises multiple sensing nodes, and wherein the information transmitted to the device is aggregated from the information received from each of the multiple sensing nodes. (See Zorgui fig. 7, para. 147-149; multiple additional sensing nodes report metrics; SnMF aggregates RF metrics; SnMF combines metrics from different wireless nodes) Claim 26 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zorgui (2023/0280454) and further in view of Choi (2022/0069958) and further in view of Mochizuki (2020/0186312). Regarding claim 26, Zorgui in view of Choi discloses the sensing component of claim 25. Zorgui does not explicitly disclose wherein the indication of the capability information is signaled via a sensing system information block (SIB), or wherein the indication of the capability information is signaled via dedicated signaling. However, Mochizuki does disclose wherein the indication of the capability information is signaled via a sensing system information block (SIB), or wherein the indication of the capability information is signaled via dedicated signaling. (See Mochizuki para. 249, 440; capability info signaled using dedicated signaling) Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the apparatus of Zorgui in view of Choi to include the teaching of wherein the indication of the capability information is signaled via a sensing system information block (SIB), or wherein the indication of the capability information is signaled via dedicated signaling of Mochizuki with the motivation being for efficient usage of limited wireless resources by only signaling certain devices and not all devices (which may not be needed) and further for security, integrity and confidentially and further for flexibility for device specific configurations. 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. Claim 29 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zorgui (2023/0280454) and further in view of Choi (2022/0069958). Regarding claim 29, Zorgui discloses a method performed by a device, comprising: transmitting an information request; (See Zorgui fig. 7; SnMF causes RF sensing activity at wireless node, box 735, 740, 745, 755, 760; para. 146; SnMF query transmitting and receiving node, including parameters such as receive/transmit direction, frequency timing, and transmit power; see also para. 141) receiving, from a sensing component in response to the information request, information associated with a wireless node; and(See Zorgui fig. 7; SnMF causes RF sensing activity at wireless node and device provides a response, box 745, 755, 760; para. 147-149; SnMF receives RF signal metrics (e.g. information) and/or sends object properties and sensing report (e.g. information)) Zorgui does not explicitly disclose receiving environmental information and perform one or more actions related to a measurement session based on the environment information. However, Choi does disclose receiving environmental information and perform one or more actions related to a measurement session based on the environment information. (See Choi fig. 5A; detecting environmental conditions (e.g. environmental information) and sending to network the environmental information to make adjustments to PRS (e.g. performing an action based upon the environment information; see also para. 106-110) Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the apparatus of Zorgui to include the teaching of receiving environmental information and perform one or more actions related to a measurement session based on the environment information of Choi with the motivation being to adapt PRS bandwidth according to environmental conditions thereby narrowing PRS bandwidth when conditions permit which reduces power consumption (See Choi para. 117) and further to save limited wireless resources which could be scheduled for other transmissions and other devices. 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. Claim 30 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zorgui (2023/0280454) and further in view of Choi (2022/0069958). Regarding claim 30, Zorgui discloses a method of operating a sensing component, comprising: receiving an information request; (See Zorgui fig. 7, para. 146; step 735 queries are sent to one or more wireless nodes (e.g. receiving request)) determining information; and (See Zorgui fig. 7, para. 149; step 755 wireless node may identify or otherwise determine properties of the object) transmitting, to a device in response to the environment information request, an indication of the information in association with a measurement session. (See Zorgui fig. 7, option 780-b; para. 149; wireless node may provide sensing report to SnMF) Zorgui does not explicitly disclose an environmental information request and environmental information associated with the wireless node. However, Choi does disclose an environmental information request and environmental information associated with the wireless node. (See Choi fig. 6, para. 121; environmental conditions that have an effect on reception of PRS (e.g. associated with wireless node)) Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the apparatus of Zorgui to include the teaching of an environmental information request and environmental information associated with the wireless node of Choi with the motivation being to adapt PRS bandwidth according to environmental conditions thereby narrowing PRS bandwidth when conditions permit which reduces power consumption (See Choi para. 117) and further to save limited wireless resources which could be scheduled for other transmissions and other devices. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEPHEN J CLAWSON whose telephone number is (571)270-7498. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-5:00 pm est. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Huy D Vu can be reached at (571) 272-3155. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /Stephen J Clawson/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2461
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Prosecution Timeline

Oct 25, 2024
Application Filed
Sep 25, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103, §112 (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
79%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+18.1%)
2y 10m (~10m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
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