DETAILED ACTION
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
Claims 16-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on October 31, 2025.
Election of sub-species I-1A, claims 3-7, laser etching, in the reply filed on February 17, 2026 is acknowledged. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on February 17, 2026. Claims 1-2 and 8 are generic. Claims 9-15 are withdrawn from consideration as directed to a non-elected species.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim et al (US 2021/0285086 A1).
Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kim et al (US 2021/0285086 A1).
The applied reference has a common applicant with the instant application. Based upon the earlier effectively filed date of the reference, it constitutes prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2). This rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) might be overcome by: (1) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(a) that the subject matter disclosed in the reference was obtained directly or indirectly from the inventor or a joint inventor of this application and is thus not prior art in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(A); (2) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(b) of a prior public disclosure under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(B) if the same invention is not being claimed; or (3) a statement pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) establishing that, not later than the effective filing date of the claimed invention, the subject matter disclosed in the reference and the claimed invention were either owned by the same person or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person or subject to a joint research agreement.
Kim ’086 discloses a method of manufacturing a mask assembly 1 (Fig. 3C), the method comprising:
preparing a mask frame 20 (Fig. 2, [0058]) including an opening area (as depicted in Fig. 2);
forming an opening OP of a first group OP-G2 in a first area of a center of a mask sheet (as depicted in Fig. 5B, [0061]);
tensioning and fixing the mask sheet to the mask frame [0060]; and
forming an opening OP of a second group OP-G1 in a second area (the periphery) of the mask sheet (Fig. 5B; “openings OP located at the central portion of the mask sheet 11 may be formed first, and openings OP located at the edges of the mask sheet 11 may be finally formed” [0078]), wherein
the second area surrounds the first area (Fig. 5B).
As to claim 2, Kim ’086 discloses that in a comparative example, opening OP is formed through wet etching [0062], which includes wet-etching the first area.
As to claim 3, Kim ’086 discloses laser etching the second area [0061].
As to claim 4, Kim ’086 discloses that the opening of the second group OP-G1 surrounds the first area (that comprises first group OP-G2).
As to claim 5, Kim ’086 discloses that forming the opening of the second group includes sequentially performing the laser etching in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction as cited [0077], [0079].
As to claim 6, Kim ’086 discloses performing the laser-etching to form a first opening OP1 (Fig. 6A); and
performing the laser-etching to form a second opening OP2 symmetrical to the first opening with response to a reference point RP (Fig. 6A) located in a center of the mask sheet [0081].
As to claim 7, Kim ’086 discloses to compensate for changes in size due to tension, i.e. tensile stress [0069]-[0070], which encompasses making the opening smaller and then extending the size by using tensile force applied to the mask sheet (because the mask sheet is welded on the mask frame).
As to claim 8, Kim ’086 discloses welding as cited ([0060], see Fig. 3A).
Applicant cannot rely upon the certified copy of the foreign priority application to overcome this rejection because a translation of said application has not been made of record in accordance with 37 CFR 1.55. When an English language translation of a non-English language foreign application is required, the translation must be that of the certified copy (of the foreign application as filed) submitted together with a statement that the translation of the certified copy is accurate. See MPEP §§ 215 and 216.
Claims 1-4 and 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim (KR 101869889 B1).
Kim ’889 discloses a method of manufacturing a mask assembly 1 (Fig. 3C), the method comprising:
preparing a mask frame 44 including an opening area (as depicted in Fig. 4);
forming an opening of a first group in a first area of a center of a mask sheet (step 301, page 4, paragraph 8 of English machine translation);
tensioning and fixing the mask sheet to the mask frame (stretching step 303 and joining step 305, page 4, paragraph 9); and
forming an opening of a second group in a second area (the periphery) of the mask sheet (same as forming openings of the first group, but located in the periphery, e.g., the outermost openings as depicted in Fig. 4), wherein
the second area surrounds the first area (see Fig. 4).
As to claim 2, Kim ’889 discloses wet-etching (page 4, paragraph 8), which includes wet etching the first area.
As to claim 3, Kim ’889 discloses laser etching (page 4, paragraph 8), which includes laser etching the second area.
As to claim 4, Kim ’889 discloses that the opening of the second group surrounds the first area (as depicted in Fig. 4).
As to claim 7, Kim ’889 discloses laser-etching the openings, which includes the second area, in a size less than a size of the opening of the second group (“the preliminary opening may be an opening slightly smaller than the final opening of the desired size” page 4, paragraph 8); and
extending a laser-etched portion to the size of the opening of the second group by using tensile force applied to the mask sheet (as applied during the stretching step, page 4, paragraph 9).
As to claim 8, Kim ’889 discloses welding a third area to the mask frame (page 8, paragraph 2), and the third area surrounds the second area of the mask sheet (as depicted in Fig. 4).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Lee (US 2026/0022447 A1), Jang et al (US 2024/0318298 A1) and Kim et al (US 2023/0265555 A1), not applicable as prior art for the instant invention, are cited to show methods of making a mask assembly. Yamabuchi (US 2019/0372002 A1) is cited to show etching openings for a mask sheet of a mask assembly (Fig. 5). Yamabuchi et al (US 2020/0385856 A1) is cited to show forming openings prior to welding [0073]. Shigemura et al (US 2004/0104197 A1) is cited to show apertures surrounded by dummy apertures in a mask sheet (Fig. 12, 14, [0112]).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANITA K ALANKO whose telephone number is (571)270-0297. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9 am-5pm.
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/ANITA K ALANKO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1713