Application No. 16/606,395
`Reply to Office Action Dated November 10, 2020
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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. Independent claims | and 11 are amended, dependent
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`claims 4 and 5 are canceled, and new dependent claims 12-18 are added. Upon entry of the
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`amendment, claims 1-3 and 6-18 remain pending. No new matter has been addedto the
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`application.
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`Rejections Under 35 U.S.C. § 102 and § 103 are Overcome
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`Claims 1-2, 4-9, and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by
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`Luoet al “Luo,” US Pub. No. 2010/0067591 A1).
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`Claim 3 is reyected under 35 USC 103(a) as being unpatentable over Luo, in view of Liu
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`et al (US Pub. No. 2014/0086093 A1).
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`Claim 10 is rejected under 35 USC 103(a) as being unpatentable over Luo, in view of
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`Choi et al (US Pub. No. 2020/0036493 A1).
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`Applicant has incorporated the subject matter previously recited in claims 4 and 5 into
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`independentclaims 1 and 11, canceled claims 4 and 5, and added new dependent method claims
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`12-18 which generally correspond to dependent terminal claims 2-3 and 6-10, respectively.
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`In rejecting claims 4 and5, the office has relied on Luo,in particular its [0066], [0045]
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`and [0042]. While Luoteachesselecting a waveform type from a set of waveform types,
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`including a SC-FDMAtype waveform and an OFDMAtype waveform, based on a metric such
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`as “a signal to noise ratio (SNR), a cubic metric, power headroom, geometry, transmission mode,
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`a combination thereof, or any other metric” ([0066]), Luo does not teach or suggest the specific
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`set of metrics now more particularly recited in claims 1 and 11. Specifically, Luo does not teach
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`“the [selected] one generation method is uniquely correlated with a parameter selected from a
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`numberof terminals that transmit the reference signals in a partial band obtained by dividing a
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`system band, a bandwidth ofthe partial band, or combs constituting the partial band.” The
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`claimed subject matter is supported, for example, in FIGS. 10 and 11 andtheir related
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`description in the application, reproduced below:
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`

`

`Application No. 16/606,395
`Reply to Office Action Dated November 10, 2020
`
`FIG. 10
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`Alt-1 is applied
`perenneeernnernnnnn
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`Alt} is applied
`prvvvseneennssanseNannopnannncnnennn.
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`Alt-# is agolied
`Fansaaneesnnessesesanonanmnnanaseaaemmmeammae
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`Freq.
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` AN es he a A ey oe
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`a a A ee RR A nee
`Partial bande
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`NR carrier
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`FIG. 11
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`Combsti-4 Combki-4
`»
`
`Cambs] -4
`pomennroeetNevnssstnny
`
`
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`[0078] For example, partial band numbersare correlated with the SRS generation
`method types.
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`[0079] Onepartial band maybe better suitable than another partial band for SRS
`transmission depending on the state of communication or the category/capability
`of each terminal. Thus, the number of terminals that transmit SRSs conceivably
`differs from one partial band to another. Theflexibility in SRS frequency
`scheduling is more important when a larger numberof terminals are involved.
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`[0080] This may be addressed in such a mannerthat the base station 200 decides,
`on the basis of the number of terminals 100 assigned to each partial band of
`interest, on a method for generating SRSs to be transmitted in the partial band
`concerned. Specifically, partial bands (partial band numbers) where the number
`of terminals that transmit SRSs is not less than a predetermined threshold value
`are correlated with Generation Method 2 (Alt-2), and partial bands (partial band
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`

`

`Application No. 16/606,395
`Reply to Office Action Dated November 10, 2020
`
`numbers) where the numberofterminals that transmit SRSs is less than the
`predetermined threshold value are correlated with Generation Method 1 (Alt-1).
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`[0083] For example, the bandwidths of the partial bands may be correlated with
`the SRS generation method types. Fig. 10 illustrates an example in which the
`bandwidths of the partial bands are correlated with the SRS generation method
`types.
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`[0084] When the bandwidth of a given partial band is wide, the SRS transmission
`bandwidth provided in the partial band is also wide. In such a case, frequent
`occurrence of frequency multiplexing of some bands between SRSs transmitted
`by the terminal 100 and SRSs transmitted by another terminalis anticipated.
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`[0085] Thus, partial bands (e.g., Partial Band #2 in Fig. 10) having a bandwidth
`wider than a threshold value are correlated with Generation Method 2 (Alt-2),
`with more weightplaced on the flexibility in frequency scheduling. Meanwhile,
`partial bands having a bandwidth less than the threshold value are correlated with
`Generation Method 1 (Alt-1), with more weight placed on the CM/PAPR
`property.
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`[0090] Fig. 11 illustrates an example in which the comb numbersare correlated
`with the SRS generation method types. In Fig. 11, a subcarrier spacing of 4 is
`provided with Comb #1 to Comb #4 assigned thereto. In a case wherethe ratio of
`the numberof terminals to which Generation Method 1 (Alt-1) is suitable to the
`number of terminals to which Generation Method 2 (Alt-2) is suitable is 1:3,
`Comb#1 is correlated with Generation Method 1 and Comb #2 to Comb #4 are
`correlated with Generation Method 2,as illustrated in Fig. 11. The comb numbers
`correlated with Generation Method 1 and the comb numberscorrelated with
`Generation Method 2 are not limited to the examples illustrated in Fig. 11.
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`The details of “a parameter selected from a numberof terminals that transmit the
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`reference signals in a partial band obtained by dividing a system band, a bandwidth of the partial
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`band, or combs constituting the partial band” which is uniquely correlated with the selected
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`generation method, as now recited in independent claims 1 and 11, are not taught by Luo. For
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`example, Luo, [0042] merely describes that “base station 102 can communicate with
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`substantially any numberof access terminals” andis silent on associating a waveform type with
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`“a numberof terminals that transmit the reference signals in a partial band obtained by dividing a
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`system band.” Luo,{[0045] merely describes different terminals may utilize different types of
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`waveforms (“access terminal 116 can utilize a first type of waveform on the uplink and access
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`

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`Application No. 16/606,395
`Reply to Office Action Dated November 10, 2020
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`terminal 122 can employ a second type of waveform on the uplink”), and is silent on associating
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`a waveform type with “a numberof terminals that transmit the reference signals in a partial band
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`obtained by dividing a system band,” or with “a bandwidth of the partial band,” or with “combs
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`constituting the partial band”as claimed.
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`Furthermore, Liu and Choi do not cure the deficiencies of Luo.
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`Therefore, claims 1 and 11, as amended, are believedto be clearly allowable over the
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`priorart.
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`Allowanceofthese claims, as well as their respective dependentclaims, is respectfully
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`requested.
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`Conclusion
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`Forat least these reasons, Applicant respectfully requests allowance of the pending claims.
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`In the event the Examinerfinds minor informalities that can be resolved by telephone conference
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`or if the Examinerbelieves a telephone conference would facilitate prosecution of this application,
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`the Examiner is urged to contact Applicant’s undersigned representative by telephone at (206)
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`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
`
`/Shoko Leek/
`Shoko I. Leek
`Registration No. 43,746
`
`701 Fifth Avenue, Suite 5400
`Seattle, Washington 98104
`Phone: (206) 622-4900 | Fax:
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`(206) 682-6031
`
`SL1jhl
`76665441
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`