`
`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and TrademarkOffice
`Address; COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
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`16/559,662
`
`09/04/2019
`
`Hiroyuki MOTOZUKA
`
`731456.535C1
`
`1096
`
`Seed IP Law Group LLP/Panasonic (PIPCA)
`701 5th Avenue, Suite 5400
`Seattle, WA 98104
`
`ALL, SHAWKAT M
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`PAPER NUMBER
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`ART UNIT
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`2633
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`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`04/02/2020
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`ELECTRONIC
`
`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
`
`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
`
`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e-mail address(es):
`USPTOeAction @ SeedIP.com
`
`pairlinkdktg @seedip.com
`
`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
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`
`
`
`
`Disposition of Claims*
`1-9 is/are pending in the application.
`)
`Claim(s)
`5a) Of the above claim(s) ___ is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`CC) Claim(s)
`is/are allowed.
`Claim(s) 1-9 is/are rejected.
`S)
`) O Claim(s)___is/are objected to.
`C) Claim(s
`are subjectto restriction and/or election requirement
`)
`S)
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you maybeeligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`http://www.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/pph/index.jsp or send an inquiry to PPHfeedback@uspto.gov.
`
`) )
`
`Application Papers
`10)C The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11) The drawing(s) filed on 09/04/2019 is/are: a)(¥) accepted or b)() objected to by the Examiner.
`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121 (d).
`
`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
`12) Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d)or (f).
`Certified copies:
`cc) None ofthe:
`b)LJ Some**
`a)Y) All
`1.4) Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.2 Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`3.4) Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been receivedin this National Stage
`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`* See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
`
`Attachment(s)
`
`1)
`
`Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`
`Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`2)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`
`3) (J Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`(Qj Other:
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`4)
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`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
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`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20200328
`
`Applicant(s)
`Application No.
`MOTOZUKA etal.
`16/559,662
`Art Unit
`Examiner
`Office Action Summary
`AIA (FITF) Status
`
`SHAWKATMALI 2633 Yes
`
`
`-- The MAILING DATEofthis communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLYIS SET TO EXPIRE 3 MONTHS FROM THE MAILING
`DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available underthe provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a). In no event, however, may a reply betimely filed after SIX (6) MONTHSfrom the mailing
`date of this communication.
`If NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHSfrom the mailing date of this communication.
`-
`- Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133}.
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, evenif timely filed, may reduce any earned patent term
`adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(b).
`
`Status
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`1) Responsive to communication(s) filed on 09/04/2019.
`LC} A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/werefiled on
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`2a)(J This action is FINAL. 2b))This action is non-final.
`3) An election was madeby the applicant in responseto a restriction requirement set forth during the interview
`on
`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
`4\(Z Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
`closed in accordance with the practice under Exparte Quayle, 1935 C.D. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
`
`
`
`Application/Control Number: 16/559,662
`Art Unit: 2633
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`Page 2
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
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`1.
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`The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined underthe
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`first inventor to file provisions of the AJA.
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`Status of Claims
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`2.
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`This communication is responsive to Application No. 16/559,662 filed on September 04,
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`2019. Claims 1-9 are subject to examination.
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`Information Disclosure Statement (IDS)
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`3.
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`The IDS submitted on 09/04/19 has been entered and considered by the Examiner.
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`Claim Objections
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`4,
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`Claims 1 and 7 are objected to because of the following informalities:
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`in claim 1, line 4 “signal” should be replaced with “signal, respectively” and line 8
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`“using” should be replaced with “utilizing”; similar objection applies to claim 7.
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`Appropriate correction is required.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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`5.
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`In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C.
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`102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the
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`statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground ofrejection if the prior art
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`relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same undereither status.
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`
`
`Application/Control Number: 16/559,662
`Art Unit: 2633
`
`Page 3
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`6.
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`The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which formsthe basis for all obviousness
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`rejections set forth in this Office Action:
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`A patent may not be obtained thoughthe invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in
`section 102 ofthis title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented andthe prior art
`are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obviousat the time the invention was made to
`a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be
`negatived by the manner in which the invention was made.
`
`The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1,148 USPQ 459
`
`(1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35
`
`U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
`
`I.
`Il.
`Il.
`IV.
`
`Determining the scope and contents of the priorart.
`Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claimsat issue.
`Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinentart.
`Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or
`nonobviousness.
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`7.
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`This application currently namesjoint inventors. In considering patentability of the
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`claims the Examiner presumesthat the subject matter of the various claims was commonly
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`owned asofthe effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidenceto the
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`contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and
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`effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly ownedasofthe effective filing date
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`of the later invention in order for the Examinerto consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C.
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`102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
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`8.
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`Claims 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Han (US
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`2012/0320813 A1) and in view of Murakami (US 2014/0205032 A1).
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`
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`Application/Control Number: 16/559,662
`Art Unit: 2633
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`Page 4
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`Regarding claims 1 (TR Apparatus), 7 (TA Methed), § (RX Apparatus) & 9 ORK Method},
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`Han teaches a transroission igure 87, 110 “BS” & Paragraph 3) as well as a reception
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`(Figure 87,129 COR” & Paragraph 8) apparatus comprising: a precoder that generates a first
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`precoded signal and a second precoded signal by performing a precoding process on a first signal
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`(Figure 434, “DFT precoder” (Antenna port#0) and a second signal (Figure 43A, “DEFT
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`precoder” (Antenna port#1)); an order reverser that generates a reversed signal by reversing an
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`order of a syrabol sequence forrming the second precoded signal (Figure 434, “DET precoder”
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`(Antenna port#l, Figure 43C, “complex conjugate” (Antenna port#l) & Paragraph 242:
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`when the contre! information is mapped to antenna port 1, mapping to subcarriers in SC-
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`PDMA symbel in reverse order}, and a trarsmiliter that transmits the first precaded signal
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`(igure 434, “Antenna port#0) and the reversed signal respectively fromdifferent antennas
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`(Figure 434, “Antenna port#i7} such that each signal is transmitted using a single-carrier
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`(Paragraph 242; (Single Carrier Frequency Division Maltiple Access} SC-FPDMA).
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`Although Hanteaches the precoded signals, Han does not explicitly disclose precoded signals
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`process on a first baseband signal and a second basebandsignal. In a related field of endeavor,
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`Murakamidiscloses precoded signals (Figure 3, 306A & 306B) process on a first baseband
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`signal and a second basebandsignal (Figures 3-4, 307A/B (TX), 8-9 (RX), 23 (TX-RX), 62,
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`6201 (BS) 6213 (UE) & Paragraph 180: basebandsignals 307A and 307B). It would have
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`been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed
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`invention to modify Han’s precoded signals to include baseband signals as in Murakami. One of
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`ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to do so to improve quality, Paragraph 29.
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`
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`Application/Control Number: 16/559,662
`Art Unit: 2633
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`Page 5
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`Regarding claim 2, The combination of Han and Murakamiteaches the apparatus of claim 1. In
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`addition, Murakami discloses a delay generator that delays either one of the first precoded signal
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`generated by the precoder and the second reversed signal generated by the order reverser (Figure
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`103 & Paragarph 1494: the cyclic Q delay is applied).
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`Regarding claim 3, The combination of Han and Murakamiteaches the apparatus of claim 1. In
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`addition, Han discloses 4 complex conjugate calculator that converts the second precaded signal
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`generated by the precoderto a signal complex conjugate (Figure 43C, “complex conjugate”).
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`Regarding claim 4, The combination of Han and Murakamiteaches the apparatus of claim 1. In
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`addition, Murakami discloses an adder that adds 4 known signal to cach ofthe first precoded
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`signal and the second precoded signal (Figure 76, 7620 “Guard Interval Inserter”).
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`Regarding claim 5, Murakamifurther discloses an encoder that performs a coding process on
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`transmission data (Figure 4, 402 “Encoder”), a stream generator that generates first
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`transmission data and second transmission data from the transmission data subjected fo the
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`coding process (Figure 4, 404 “Distribution”), and a modulator that generates the first
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`baseband siznai trom the first transmission data and generates the second baseband signal from
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`the second transmission data (Figure 4, 306A/B “Mapper”).
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`Regarding claim 6, The combination of Han and Murakamiteaches the apparatus of claim 1. In
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`addition, Han discloses a strearn generator that generates first transmission data and second
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`transmission data from transmission data (Figure 9, “Chunk Segmentation”), an encoder that
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`
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`Application/Control Number: 16/559,662
`Art Unit: 2633
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`Page 6
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`performs a coding process on each of the first transrnission data and the second transmission data
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`(Figure 9, “Channel Coding”), snd 2 modulator that generates the first signal frorn thefirst
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`transmission data subjected to the coding process and generates the second signal fromthe
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`second transmission data subjected to the coding process (Figure 9, “Modulator”). However, as
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`noted in clains 1 that Han fails to disclose bascband signals explicitly. Murakami discloses
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`baseband signais see claim 1,
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`Conclusion
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`9.
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`Anyinquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
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`Examinershould be directed to SHAWKATM. ALI whosetelephone numberis (571) 270-1639.
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`The Examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday 8:30AM-3:30PM ET.
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`Examinerinterviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using
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`a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, Applicantis
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`encouraged to use the USPTO AIRat http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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`If attempts to reach the Examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the Examiner’s
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`Supervisor, SAM K. AHNcan bereached on (571) 272-3044. The fax phone numberfor the
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`organization wherethis application or proceedingis assigned is 571-273-8300.
`
`Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent
`
`Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications
`
`may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished
`
`applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR
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`
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`Application/Control Number: 16/559,662
`Art Unit: 2633
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`Page 7
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`like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated
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`information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA)or 571-272-1000.
`
`/SHAWKAT M ALI/
`
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2633
`
`