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 .
A)
The amendment filed on 12/23/2025 has been acknowledged.
Amendment Summary
Claims 1 and 8-16 are amended.
Claims 20 is canceled.
Response to Arguments/Amendment
Applicant has amended the independent claims 1, 8 and 17. The following OA examination reflect the new amended claims submitted herein. The arguments regarding previous claim submittal are moot since the amended claim has modified the scope of the previous claim. The amended claims are examined below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ben (US 2025/0184946 A1)
Regarding Claim 1, 8, 17
Ben discloses an apparatus (Fig.1(104)) comprising:
at least one processor (Fig.11(1106)); and
at least one memory (Fig.11(1108)) storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor (Fig.11(1106)), cause the apparatus (Fig.1(104)) at least to:
receive, from a resource scheduling entity (See [0007]; network node), at least one configured grant for sidelink transmission (See [0005]; [0007]; A network entity, such as a base station, generates the SL PRS configuration and signals the SL PRS configuration to the initiator UE including activation or deactivation of a CG resource for the SL PRS) among a plurality of user equipment (Fig1(104x)) via high-layer signaling (See [0007]; [0062-0066]; configuration is performed at higher signaling); and
utilize at least one resource within the at least one configured grant for sidelink transmission (See Fig.14(1402)(1406); [0026-0027]; [0039-0040]; [0186]; [0188]; activate transmission of SL PRS by the apparatus in the semi-persistent manner; deactivate transmission of SL PRS by the apparatus in the semi-persistent manner) based on at least one indication received and originating from at least another user equipment (See [0039-0041]; The initiator UE 118 can transmit ( e.g., using a PC5 vehicle-to-everything (V2X) interface) the SL PRS configuration 116 to another UE 104 that is referred to as a responder UE; [0128-0129]; PC5 RRC signaling may be used by the initiator UE 104 to signal the periodic SL PRS configuration, activation, or deactivation to the responder UE 104),
wherein the at least one indication indicates activating or deactivating the at least one resource (See [0039-0041]; [0122-0123]; resource is activate semi-persistent manner depending on transmission of another apparatus).
Regarding Claim 2, 9, 18
Ben teaches all the features with respect to Claim 1, 8, 17 and Ben further teaches
wherein the at least one configured grant is configured for the
plurality of user equipment in a sidelink positioning session (See [0005]; [0007]; [0026-0027]; grant is allocated to UE initiator and responder).
Regarding Claim 3, 10
Ben teaches all the features with respect to Claim 1, 9 and Ben further teaches
wherein the at least one configured grant comprises at least one resource related to a plurality of orthogonal sidelink positioning reference signal sequences (See Table 5; [0058]; OFDM).
Regarding Claim 4, 11
Ben teaches all the features with respect to Claim 3, 10 and Ben further teaches
wherein the plurality of orthogonal sidelink positioning reference signal sequences are orthogonal (See Table 5; [0058]; OFDM) in at least one of the following:
time domain,
frequency domain (See Table 5; [0058]; OFDM), or
code domain.
(The term “or’ translate into at least one limitation for complete examination)
Regarding claim 5, 12
Ben teaches all the features with respect to Claim 1, 8 and Ben further teaches
wherein the at least one indication indicates an activation or
a deactivation of the at least one resource for the plurality of user equipment in the sidelink positioning session (See Fig.14(1402)(1406); [0039-0040]; [0186]; [0188]; resource is activate semi-persistent manner depending on transmission of another apparatus) via low-layer signaling (See [0039-0042]; sidelink control information, medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), HARQ (e.g., SL HARQ) is used).
Regarding Claim 6, 13
Ben teaches all the features with respect to Claim 5, 12 and Ben further teaches
wherein the low-layer signaling comprises sidelink control information (See [0042]; sidelink control information).
Regarding claim 7, 14
Ben teaches all the features with respect to Claim 1, 8 and Ben further teaches
wherein the high-layer signaling comprises at least one of the
following:
radio resource control signaling (See [0039]; [0042]),
medium access control element signaling (See [0042]),
long-term evolution positioning protocol signaling (See [0050]; [0053]; [0145]) or
sidelink positioning protocol signaling (See [0005]; [0026]; [0049])
Regarding Claim 15, 19
Ben teaches all the features with respect to Claim 8, 17 and Ben further teaches
transmit, to the resource scheduling entity, a first list of the plurality of user equipment suitable for sidelink configured grant (See [0126-0127]; target of UEs that the base station or network entity needs to know there positions); and
transmit to the resource scheduling entity a first trigger to request resource allocation for the plurality of user equipment (See [0127-0128]; Semistatic
signaling, e.g., received from a base station 102, configures a PRS resource set to SL UEs when requested for positioning resources. There can be any number 'N' of PRS resources in each PRS resource set.) .
Regarding Claim 16,
Ben teaches all the features with respect to Claim 8 and Ben further teaches
transmit, to the resource scheduling entity, the at least one indication indicating activation or deactivation of the at least one resource within the at least one configured grant for sidelink transmission (See [0005]; [0121]; [0148]; indicating successful activation and deactivation of resource to network node after Configuration Grant)).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/GARY LAFONTANT/Examiner, Art Unit 2646