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 .
RESPONSE TO AMENDMENT
Claims 1-17 are pending in the application. Claims 18-20 have been cancelled.
Amendments to the claim 1, filed on 19 May 2026, have been entered in the above-identified application.
Answers to Applicants' Arguments
Applicants' arguments in the response filed 19 May 2026, regarding the 35 U.S.C. §103 rejections made of record, have been fully considered and are deemed persuasive. The rejections have been withdrawn in view of the applicants' arguments and amendments to the claims.
New and Repeated Rejections
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office Action.
Examiner’s Notes
With Regards to Claim 1: Instant claim 1 recites --a second surface that faces the first surface-- in line 4. It is unclear if this was a translation error or intentional, but the figures 2A to 2C and 11D clearly indicate the second surface ("MS-DS") faces away from the first surface ("MS-US"). Appropriate clarification and correction is requested.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 1-11, 13-15, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee et al. (US 2020/0102636 A1).
Regarding Claim 1: Lee teaches a mask assembly (ref. #150) including a mask frame (ref. #151), a plurality of mask sheets (ref. #152), a plurality of first shielding sheets (ref. #153), and a plurality of second shielding sheet (ref. #154), wherein the first shielding sheet is between the mask frame and the mask sheet, the second shielding sheet is perpendicular to the first shielding sheet, the second shielding sheet is disposed on the first shielding sheet, the plurality of first shielding sheets are spaced apart from one another, and the plurality of second shielding sheets are spaced apart from one another (figures 1 to 3, 4B to 6, [0078], [0080]-[0093], [0098], [0099], [0102], and [0103] of Lee). Lee also teaches that the plurality of first shielding sheets and the plurality of second shielding sheets are parallel to each other and to the mask sheets (figures 1 to 3, 4B to 6, [0084], and [0089] of Lee). Lee further teaches that the plurality of first shielding sheets having a symmetric body portion (ref. #153-1) and first protrusions (ref. #153-2), the plurality of second shielding sheets have a symmetric body portion (ref. #154-1, #154A-1, #154B-1) and second protrusions (ref. #154-2, #154A-2, #154B-2), wherein the body portions of two adjacent first shielding sheets, the body portions of two adjacent second shielding sheets, the first protrusions and the second protrusions define a deposition area (ref. "S"; which is considered equivalent to the claimed "opening") (figures 4A to 4B, 8-11, [0085], [0164], [0172] of Lee). (In the instant case, the portion of the second projection that extends beyond the first projection defines the claimed "at least one protrusion that extends from a selected inside surface of the inside surface portion toward the opening, in a first region of the base sheet, wherein the at least one protrusion includes a stepped surface parallel to the first surface and parallel to the second surface, the stepped surface facing the target substrate". Furthermore, there is formed a gap between the mask sheet and the exposed second projection which is larger than any gap between the mask sheet and the first shielding sheet (i.e., a gap of zero).)
Regarding Claim 2: Lee teaches that the at least one protrusion includes first and second boundary surfaces adjacent to the second region and that extend from the inside surface (figures 10 to 11 and [0170]-[0172] of Lee).
Regarding Claim 3: Lee teaches that the first and second boundary surfaces include different shapes (figures 10 to 11 and [0170]-[0172] of Lee).
Regarding Claim 4: Lee teaches the at least one protrusion includes a plurality of protrusions, and a plurality of boundary surfaces corresponding to the plurality of protrusions are provided (figures 10 to 11 and [0170]-[0172] of Lee)
Regarding Claim 5: Lee teaches that the inside surface portion includes first to fourth corner portions, and at least one of the first and second boundary surfaces is located on at least one of the first to fourth corner portions (figures 10 to 11 and [0170]-[0172] of Lee)
Regarding Claim 6: Lee teaches that the first to fourth corner portions include a curvature (figures 4A to 4B, 10 to 11, and [0170]-[0172] of Lee).
Regarding Claim 7: Lee teaches that the at least one protrusion protrudes from at least one of the first to fourth corner portions (figures 4A to 4B, 10 to 11, and [0170]-[0172] of Lee).
Regarding Claim 8: Lee teaches that at least one of the first to fourth corner portions is included in the second region (figures 4A to 4B, 10 to 11, and [0170]-[0172] of Lee).
Regarding Claim 9: Lee teaches that the inside surface portion includes: a first inside surface; a second inside surface; a third inside surface; and a fourth inside surface, the first and third inside surfaces are parallel to a first direction, and the second and fourth inside surfaces are parallel to a second direction intersecting the first direction (figures 4A to 4B, 10 to 11, and [0170]-[0172] of Lee).
Regarding Claim 10: Lee teaches that the first inside surface is spaced apart from the third inside surface in the second direction, and the at least one protrusion protrudes from the first inside surface or the third inside surface (figures 4A to 4B, 10 to 11, and [0170]-[0172] of Lee).
Regarding Claim 11: Lee teaches that the at least one protrusion is integrally formed without protruding and separating from the adjacent second or fourth inside surface (figures 4A to 4B, 10 to 11, and [0170]-[0172] of Lee).
Regarding Claim 13: Lee teaches that the at least one protrusion includes a plurality of protrusions, the second inside surface is spaced apart from the fourth inside surface in the first direction, and the plurality of projections protrude from the second inside surface and the fourth inside surface, respectively (figures 4A to 4B, 10 to 11, and [0170]-[0172] of Lee).
Regarding Claim 14: Lee teaches that the plurality of protrusions protrude from a portion of the second inside surface and a portion of the fourth inside surface corresponding to the portion of the second inside surface, respectively (figures 4A to 4B, 10 to 11, and [0170]-[0172] of Lee). (In the instant case, the limitation recites --a portion of the fourth inside surface corresponding to the portion of the second inside surface-- in lines 2 to 3, wherein "corresponding" has been considered by the examiner to have the ordinary meaning of 'being directly across from (i.e., a mirrored position with respect to the second direction)".)
Regarding Claim 15: Lee teaches that at least one of the first and second boundary surfaces is adjacent to at least one of the first to fourth inside surfaces (figures 4A to 4B, 10 to 11, and [0170]-[0172] of Lee).
Regarding Claim 17: Lee teaches that the opening is provided in plural, each including a same planar shape (figure 1 and 4A to 4B of Lee).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12 and 16 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
With regards to the closest prior art of record Lee et al. (US 2020/0102636 A1): Lee teaches --a mask--, wherein Lee's mask further comprises the structure --a mask assembly (ref. #150) including a mask frame (ref. #151), a plurality of mask sheets (ref. #152), a plurality of first shielding sheets (ref. #153), and a plurality of second shielding sheet (ref. #154), wherein the first shielding sheet is between the mask frame and the mask sheet, the second shielding sheet is perpendicular to the first shielding sheet, the second shielding sheet is disposed on the first shielding sheet, the plurality of first shielding sheets are spaced apart from one another, and the plurality of second shielding sheets are spaced apart from one another Lee also teaches that the plurality of first shielding sheets and the plurality of second shielding sheets are parallel to each other and to the mask sheets; the plurality of first shielding sheets having a symmetric body portion (ref. #153-1) and first protrusions (ref. #153-2), the plurality of second shielding sheets have a symmetric body portion (ref. #154-1, #154A-1, #154B-1) and second protrusions (ref. #154-2, #154A-2, #154B-2); and wherein the body portions of two adjacent first shielding sheets, the body portions of two adjacent second shielding sheets, the first protrusions and the second protrusions define a deposition area (ref. "S")-- (figures 1 to 3, 4B to 6, 8 to 11, [0078], [0080]-[0093], [0098], [0099], [0102], [0103], [0164], and [0172] of Lee). However, Lee does not teach that --the at least one protrusion being integrally formed without protruding and separating from a portion of the adjacent second inside surface and a portion of the adjacent fourth inside surface-- {instant claim 12} or --that the inside surface portion includes: a vertical surface physically connected to the first surface in the second region and perpendicular to the first surface; and an inclined surface that physically connects the vertical surface and the second surface and inclined in a direction away from the opening-- {instant claim 16}. Therefore, the claims as written overcome the prior art of record. Furthermore, no combination of Lee with any other prior art of record would have provided sufficient motivation for a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to have modified Lee in such a way as to meet the claimed invention. It is these teachings that makes the claim(s) allowable over the prior art of record.
Conclusion
Applicants' amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Donald M. Flores, Jr. whose telephone number is (571) 270-1466. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30 to 17:00 M-F; Alternate Fridays off.
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/DONALD M FLORES JR/
Donald M. Flores, Jr.Examiner, Art Unit 1781
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