`Reply to Office Action Dated January 21, 2021
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`REMARKS
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`Applicant respectfully requests reconsideration of this application in view of the above
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`amendments and the following remarks. Claims 1, 10, 12-13, and 16-23 will be pending upon
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`entry of this amendment. Claims 1, 10, 12-13, 16-17, and 19-20 have been amended. Claims 2-9,
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`11, and 14-15 were canceled by way of previous amendment. Support for the amendments may
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`be found, for example, in §][0064]-[0066] and Figure 18 of the application as filed. No new
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`matter has been addedto the application.
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`In the Office Action, claims 1, 10, 12-13, and 16-23 were rejected under 35 U.S.C. §103
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`as being unpatentable over 3GPP TSG RAN WGI #81 (RI-153567) in view 3GPP TSG RAN
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`WGI #81 (RI-152954), Kim et al. (U.S. 2015/0036609 A1), and the Backgroundsection of
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`Horiuchiet al. (U.S. 2018/0070339 A1). In response, Applicant has amendedclaims 1, 10, 12-
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`13, 16-17, and 19-20 to more particularly recite the subject matter that Applicant considers as
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`their invention and to moreclearly distinguish the claims from RI-153567, RI-152954, Kim, and
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`the Backgroundsection of Horiuchi.
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`Amendedclaim 1 recites a base station comprising:
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`control circuitry which, in operation, allocates a physical downlink shared channel
`(PDSCH)onaplurality of resource blocks (RBs); and
`a transmitter which, in operation, transmits control information including a
`resource indication value (RIV) which indicates the plurality of RBs,
`wherein a single RIV indicates different sets of RBs based on a relation between a
`frequency boundary ofan allocated narrowband and a frequency boundary of resource
`block groups (RBGs).
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`RI-153567 fails to teach or suggest control information including a resource indication
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`value (RIV) whichindicates the plurality of RBs, wherein a single RIV indicates different sets of
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`RBs based on a relation between a frequency boundary ofan allocated narrowband and a
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`frequency boundary of resource block groups (RBGs). RI-153567 describes that a narrowband
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`for MTC UEsis defined as a set of contiguous PRBs. See page 2. For example, a narrowband
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`may be 6 PRBs defined continuously starting from one edge of the system BW. See page 4. The
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`portions of RI-153567 cited by the Examineraresilent to control information including a
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`resource indication value (RIV) which indicates the plurality of RBs, wherein a single RIV
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`
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`Application No. 15/810,589
`Reply to Office Action Dated January 21, 2021
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`indicates different sets of RBs based on a relation between a frequency boundary of an allocated
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`narrowbandand a frequency boundary of resource block groups (RBGs).
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`RI-152954 fails to cure the deficiencies of RI-153567. RI-152954 describes DCIthat
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`indicates a narrow-bandandresource allocation within narrow-band. See section 3.1. In a Type 1
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`allocation type, a resource allocated to a UE is continuous. In a Type 2 allocation type, a
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`resource allocated to a UE is continuousor discontinuous. The portions of RI-152954 cited by
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`the Examinerare silent to control information including a resource indication value (RIV) which
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`indicates the plurality of RBs, wherein a single RIV indicates different sets of RBs based on a
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`relation between a frequency boundary of an allocated narrowband and a frequency boundary of
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`resource block groups (RBGs).
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`Kim fails to cure the deficiencies of RI-153567 and RI-152954. Kim describes a RBG
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`1300 including RB 1300-2 and RB 1300-1. See [0167]. The user equipmentspecific reference
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`signals (URS) transmitted through the RBs may havedifferent URS patterns. The portions of
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`Kim cited by the Examinerare silent to control information including a resource indication value
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`(RIV) which indicates the plurality of RBs, wherein a single RIV indicates different sets of RBs
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`based on a relation between a frequency boundary of an allocated narrowband and a frequency
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`boundary of resource block groups (RBGs).
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`The portions of the Background section of Horiuchi cited by the Examineralso fails to
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`cure the deficiencies of RI-153567, RI-152954, and Kim.
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`Applicant submits claim 1 is allowable over RI-153567, RI-152954, Kim, and the
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`Background section of Horiuchi. Dependent claims 16-23 are allowable for the features recited
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`therein as well as for the reasons discussed above with respect to claim 1.
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`Although the language of claims 10 and 12-13 are not identical to the language of claim
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`1, the allowability of claims 10 and 12-13 will become apparentin light of the discussion above
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`with respect to claim 1. Applicant submits claims 10 and 12-13 are allowable over RI-153567,
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`RI-152954, Kim, and the Backgroundsection of Horiuchi.
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`Closing
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`All of the claims remaining in the application are now clearly allowable. Favorable
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`consideration and a Notice of Allowanceare earnestly solicited.
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`
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`Application No. 15/810,589
`Reply to Office Action Dated January 21, 2021
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`In the event the Examiner finds minor informalities that can be resolved by telephone
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`conferenceor if the Examinerbelieves a telephone conference would facilitate prosecution of this
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`application, the Examineris urged to contact Applicant’s undersigned representative by telephone
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`at (206) 622-4900 in order to expeditiously resolve prosecution of this application.
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`Respectfully submitted,
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`Seed Intellectual Property Law Group Lip
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`/Blake K. Kumabe/
`Blake K. Kumabe
`Registration No. 68,240
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`701 Fifth Avenue, Suite 5400
`Seattle, Washington 98104
`Phone: (206) 622-4900 | Fax: (206) 682-6031
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`BKK:dmk
`77824511
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