diff --git a/Changes b/Changes
index 47f9b2f..4218b88 100644
--- a/Changes
+++ b/Changes
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-0.55.7 2016-10-14
+0.55.7 2016-10-28
         - [bugfix] Throw error on optional operands in distance
           queries (diewald)
         - [performance] Remember solved problematic queries in the
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@
           a single extension, if possible (diewald)
         - [bugfix] Fixed paths in test suite for supporting
           spaces (margaretha)
+        - Added check for minimum repetition (margaretha)
+        - Added deserialization tests for query with empty token (margaretha)
 
 0.55.6 2016-08-10
         - [bugfix] distance with key "t" uses default foundry (diewald)
diff --git a/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/query/BaseTest.java b/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/query/BaseTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f3473c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/query/BaseTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+package de.ids_mannheim.korap.query;
+
+import static de.ids_mannheim.korap.TestSimple.getJSONQuery;
+
+import de.ids_mannheim.korap.query.wrap.SpanQueryWrapper;
+
+public abstract class BaseTest {
+
+    protected String path;
+    
+    // get query wrapper based on json file
+    public SpanQueryWrapper jsonQueryFile (String filename) {
+        return getJSONQuery(getClass().getResource(path + filename).getFile());
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/query/TestSpanSequenceQueryJSON.java b/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/query/TestSpanSequenceQueryJSON.java
index 6501d77..56cc1dc 100644
--- a/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/query/TestSpanSequenceQueryJSON.java
+++ b/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/query/TestSpanSequenceQueryJSON.java
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 package de.ids_mannheim.korap.query;
 
-import static de.ids_mannheim.korap.TestSimple.getJSONQuery;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
 import static org.junit.Assert.fail;
@@ -18,10 +17,11 @@
  */
 
 @RunWith(JUnit4.class)
-public class TestSpanSequenceQueryJSON {
-
-    static String path = "/queries/sequence/";
-
+public class TestSpanSequenceQueryJSON extends BaseTest{
+    
+    public TestSpanSequenceQueryJSON () {
+        path = "/queries/sequence/";
+    }
 
     // Test Extensions
 
@@ -379,11 +379,4 @@
                 sqwi.toQuery().toString());
         // Could also be a distance at the end ... that's a query planner thing.
     };
-
-
-
-    // get query wrapper based on json file
-    public SpanQueryWrapper jsonQueryFile (String filename) {
-        return getJSONQuery(getClass().getResource(path + filename).getFile());
-    };
 };
diff --git a/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/query/TestSpanSequenceQueryWithEmptyToken.java b/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/query/TestSpanSequenceQueryWithEmptyToken.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ddfe001
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/query/TestSpanSequenceQueryWithEmptyToken.java
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+package de.ids_mannheim.korap.query;
+
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
+
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+import de.ids_mannheim.korap.query.wrap.SpanQueryWrapper;
+import de.ids_mannheim.korap.util.QueryException;
+
+
+/**
+ * @author margaretha
+ *
+ */
+public class TestSpanSequenceQueryWithEmptyToken extends BaseTest {
+    public TestSpanSequenceQueryWithEmptyToken () {
+        path = "/queries/sequence/";
+    }
+
+
+    @Test
+    public void testEmptyInSequence () throws QueryException {
+        // der [] Mann?
+        SpanQueryWrapper sqwi = jsonQueryFile("empty-token-in-sequence.jsonld");
+
+        assertEquals("focus(254: spanContain(<tokens:base/s:t />, {254: spanOr("
+                + "[spanExpansion(tokens:l:der, []{1, 1}, right), "
+                + "spanNext(spanExpansion(tokens:l:der, []{1, 1}, right), "
+                + "tokens:l:Mann)])}))", sqwi.toQuery().toString());
+    }
+
+
+    @Test
+    public void testEmptyInSequence2 () throws QueryException {
+        // der [][] Mann?
+        SpanQueryWrapper sqwi = jsonQueryFile(
+                "empty-token-in-sequence2.jsonld");
+
+        assertEquals("focus(254: spanContain(<tokens:base/s:t />, {254: spanOr("
+                + "[spanExpansion(tokens:l:der, []{2, 2}, right), "
+                + "spanNext(spanExpansion(tokens:l:der, []{2, 2}, right), "
+                + "tokens:l:Mann)])}))", sqwi.toQuery().toString());
+    }
+
+
+    @Test
+    public void testEmptyInSequence3 () throws QueryException {
+        // [base=der][]{2,5}[base=Mann]?[]?[][base=Frau]
+        SpanQueryWrapper sqwi = jsonQueryFile(
+                "empty-token-in-sequence3.jsonld");
+
+        assertEquals(
+                "spanNext(" + "spanOr("
+                        + "[spanExpansion(tokens:l:der, []{2, 5}, right), "
+                        + "spanNext(spanExpansion(tokens:l:der, []{2, 5}, right), "
+                        + "tokens:l:Mann)]), "
+                        + "spanExpansion(tokens:l:Frau, []{1, 2}, left)" + ")",
+                sqwi.toQuery().toString());
+    }
+
+
+    @Test
+    public void testEmptyInSequence4 () throws QueryException {
+        // der? [] Mann?        
+        SpanQueryWrapper sqwi = jsonQueryFile(
+                "empty-token-in-sequence4.jsonld");
+        assertEquals(
+                "spanOr([spanExpansion(tokens:l:der, []{1, 1}, right), "
+                        + "spanExpansion(tokens:l:Mann, []{1, 1}, left), "
+                        + "spanNext(spanExpansion(tokens:l:der, []{1, 1}, right), tokens:l:Mann)]])",
+                sqwi.toQuery().toString());
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/test/resources/queries/sequence/empty-token-in-sequence.jsonld b/src/test/resources/queries/sequence/empty-token-in-sequence.jsonld
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cc29f23
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/resources/queries/sequence/empty-token-in-sequence.jsonld
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+{
+    "@type": "koral:group",
+    "operation": "operation:sequence",
+    "operands": [
+        {
+            "@type": "koral:token",
+            "wrap": {
+                "@type": "koral:term",
+                "key": "der",
+                "layer": "lemma",
+                "match": "match:eq"
+            }
+        },
+        {"@type": "koral:token"},
+        {
+            "@type": "koral:group",
+            "operation": "operation:repetition",
+            "operands": [{
+                "@type": "koral:token",
+                "wrap": {
+                    "@type": "koral:term",
+                    "key": "Mann",
+                    "layer": "lemma",
+                    "match": "match:eq"
+                }
+            }],
+            "boundary": {
+                "@type": "koral:boundary",
+                "min": 0,
+                "max": 1
+            }
+        }
+    ]
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/test/resources/queries/sequence/empty-token-in-sequence2.jsonld b/src/test/resources/queries/sequence/empty-token-in-sequence2.jsonld
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4944691
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/resources/queries/sequence/empty-token-in-sequence2.jsonld
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+{
+    "@type": "koral:group",
+    "operation": "operation:sequence",
+    "operands": [
+        {
+            "@type": "koral:token",
+            "wrap": {
+                "@type": "koral:term",
+                "key": "der",
+                "layer": "lemma",
+                "match": "match:eq"
+            }
+        },
+        {
+            "@type": "koral:group",
+            "operation": "operation:repetition",
+            "operands": [{"@type": "koral:token"}],
+            "boundary": {
+                "@type": "koral:boundary",
+                "min": 2,
+                "max": 2
+            },
+            "min": 2,
+            "max": 2
+        },
+        {
+            "@type": "koral:group",
+            "operation": "operation:repetition",
+            "operands": [{
+                "@type": "koral:token",
+                "wrap": {
+                    "@type": "koral:term",
+                    "key": "Mann",
+                    "layer": "lemma",
+                    "match": "match:eq"
+                }
+            }],
+            "boundary": {
+                "@type": "koral:boundary",
+                "min": 0,
+                "max": 1
+            }
+        }
+    ]
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/test/resources/queries/sequence/empty-token-in-sequence3.jsonld b/src/test/resources/queries/sequence/empty-token-in-sequence3.jsonld
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2e9f1bf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/resources/queries/sequence/empty-token-in-sequence3.jsonld
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+{
+    "@type": "koral:group",
+    "operation": "operation:sequence",
+    "operands": [
+        {
+            "@type": "koral:token",
+            "wrap": {
+                "@type": "koral:term",
+                "key": "der",
+                "layer": "lemma",
+                "match": "match:eq"
+            }
+        },
+        {
+            "@type": "koral:group",
+            "operation": "operation:repetition",
+            "operands": [{"@type": "koral:token"}],
+            "boundary": {
+                "@type": "koral:boundary",
+                "min": 2,
+                "max": 5
+            },
+            "min": 2,
+            "max": 5
+        },
+        {
+            "@type": "koral:group",
+            "operation": "operation:repetition",
+            "operands": [{
+                "@type": "koral:token",
+                "wrap": {
+                    "@type": "koral:term",
+                    "key": "Mann",
+                    "layer": "lemma",
+                    "match": "match:eq"
+                }
+            }],
+            "boundary": {
+                "@type": "koral:boundary",
+                "min": 0,
+                "max": 1
+            },
+            "min": 0,
+            "max": 1
+        },
+        {
+            "@type": "koral:group",
+            "operation": "operation:repetition",
+            "operands": [{"@type": "koral:token"}],
+            "boundary": {
+                "@type": "koral:boundary",
+                "min": 1,
+                "max": 2
+            },
+            "min": 1,
+            "max": 2
+        },
+        {
+            "@type": "koral:token",
+            "wrap": {
+                "@type": "koral:term",
+                "key": "Frau",
+                "layer": "lemma",
+                "match": "match:eq"
+            }
+        }
+    ]
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/test/resources/queries/sequence/empty-token-in-sequence4.jsonld b/src/test/resources/queries/sequence/empty-token-in-sequence4.jsonld
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1a96e1b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/resources/queries/sequence/empty-token-in-sequence4.jsonld
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+{
+    "@type": "koral:group",
+    "operation": "operation:sequence",
+    "operands": [
+        {
+            "@type": "koral:group",
+            "operation": "operation:repetition",
+            "operands": [{
+                "@type": "koral:token",
+                "wrap": {
+                    "@type": "koral:term",
+                    "key": "der",
+                    "layer": "lemma",
+                    "match": "match:eq"
+                }
+            }],
+            "boundary": {
+                "@type": "koral:boundary",
+                "min": 0,
+                "max": 1
+            }
+        },
+        {"@type": "koral:token"},
+        {
+            "@type": "koral:group",
+            "operation": "operation:repetition",
+            "operands": [{
+                "@type": "koral:token",
+                "wrap": {
+                    "@type": "koral:term",
+                    "key": "Mann",
+                    "layer": "lemma",
+                    "match": "match:eq"
+                }
+            }],
+            "boundary": {
+                "@type": "koral:boundary",
+                "min": 0,
+                "max": 1
+            }
+        }
+    ]
+}
\ No newline at end of file