DETAILED ACTION
1. This is the initial office action based on application number 18/083,718 filed on 12/19/2022 with a foreign priority to Korean application KR102022005396 with a filling date of 01/13/2022. Claims 1-20 are currently pending and have been considered below
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 .
Election/Restrictions
2. Claims 18-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention group, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on March 12, 2026
Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention I, which corresponds to claims 1-17 in the reply filed on March 12, 2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Objections
3. Claim 17 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 17 recites, “The mask assembly of claim 16, wherein the another accommodation space includes a first accommodation part and a second accommodation part, that are of the another side of the carrier substrate.” There is a grammatical error in the underlined portion. The specific part is understood as, “The mask assembly of claim 16, wherein the another accommodation space includes a first accommodation part and a second accommodation part, that are on the another side of the carrier substrate” for clarity.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
5. Claims 1-5, 9-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Han et al. (US 20150044930 A1)
Regarding Claim 1: Han et al teach a mask comprised of a stage 201 (mask frame) with a hollow portion 204 (opening) [fig 1-3; para 65-70]. The stage 201 has an accommodation groove 203 (accommodation structure) and the portion of stage 201 that has the accommodation groove 203 corresponds to the claimed 'accommodation space'. [fig 3; para 71]. A displacement sensor 300 (sensor) is accommodated in the accommodation groove 203 [para 71]
Regarding Claim 2: Han teaches sensor 300 accommodated in the accommodation groove 203 is a displacement sensor [para 71, 75-77]
Regarding Claim 3: Han teaches sensor 300 can be an optical displacement sensor (camera) [para 75].
Regarding Claim 4 and 5: Han teaches a controller 500 (communication transceiver and driving circuit) that has an input and output unit to obtain information from sensor 300 which suggests the controller is connected to the sensor. [para65; 81-82]
Regarding Claim 9 and 10: Han shows different perspective views of apparatus in fig 8, 15 and 16. Fig 8 is plan view of mask with stage (frame) which also includes groove 203 (accommodation structure). Mask sheet 723 as shown in fig 15 is capable of being disposed on top of stage as shown in figure 8. In this case, the openings of mask sheet 723 overlaps in alignment with the stage and grooves 203 which is partially shown in fig 16.
Regarding Claim 11 and 12: Han teaches a mask frame 710 (cover) connected to stage 200 which covers the groove 203. The overlapping space between stage and frame (cover) corresponds to the claimed 'accommodation space'[fig 11]. Han teaches the mask is inside a chamber 100 and chamber can be connected to outside which is has atmospheric pressure [para 66].
Regarding Claim 13: Han et al teach a mask comprised of a stage 201 (frame) with a hollow portion 204 (opening) [fig 1-3; para 65-70]. The stage 201 has an accommodation groove 203 (accommodation structure) and the portion of stage 201 that has the accommodation groove 203 corresponds to the claimed 'accommodation space'. [fig 3; para 71]. A displacement sensor 300 (sensor) is accommodated in the accommodation groove 203 [para 71]. the limitations regarding carrier substrate are shown below.
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A mask frame 710 will be placed between stage 200 and mask 730 sheet which corresponds to the claimed 'substrate' [fig 11; para133-136]
Regarding Claim 14: Han teaches sensor 301 accommodated in the accommodation groove 203 is a displacement sensor [para 71, 75-77, 103]
Regarding Claim 15: Han teaches a structure corresponds to the carrier substrate as shown in claim 13. The structure has a sensor 300, which can be an optical displacement sensor (camera) [para 75].
Regarding Claim 16: The limitation is shown below
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Also, Han teaches the mask is inside a chamber 100 and chamber can be connected to outside which is has atmospheric pressure [para 66].
Regarding Claim 17: The limitation is shown below:
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Allowable Subject Matter
6. Claims 6-8 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Claims 6 would be allowable because Han et al. fail to disclose or suggest a driving circuit being disposed on an accommodation structure that is separate from the accommodation structure where a first sensor is disposed. Claims 7 and 8 are dependent on claim 6.
Conclusion
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/WASIQUL HAQ/ Examiner, Art Unit 1717 /Binu Thomas/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1717
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