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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Applicant’s arguments filed on 24 Feb. 2026 have been fully considered.
Claim Objections
Claim 16, 24 and 25 are objected to because of the following informalities: claims 16, 24 and 25 depend on claim 15, which was cancelled. It is assumed that claims 16, 24 and 25 depend on claim 14. 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.
Claim(s) 8, 14, 16 and 23-25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Matsumoto (2004/0214099).
Regarding claim 8, Matsumoto discloses digital lithography system (Fig. 1, 2) comprising: a plurality of scan regions comprising a first scan region, a second scan region, a third scan region, and a fourth scan region (scan regions are on the photosensitive material 40, the first scan region, the second scan region, the third scan region and the fourth scan region each corresponds to different exposure units scan directions, see modified Fig. 2 below); a plurality of exposure units located above the plurality of scan regions (see modified Fig. 2 below), the plurality of exposure units comprising a first exposure unit associated with the first scan region, a second exposure unit associated with the second scan region, a third exposure unit associated with the third scan region, and a fourth exposure unit associated with the fourth scan region; a first bridge (exposure head 100A grouping the first and second exposure units) and a second bridge (exposure head 100B grouping the third and fourth exposure units) adjacent to the first bridge, wherein the first exposure unit and the second exposure unit are attached to the first bridge, and wherein the third exposure unit and the fourth exposure unit are attached to the second bridge (modified Fig. 2 below); a memory (CPU, Rom, Ram, para 0042, 0043); and at least one processing device (90), operatively coupled to the memory, to perform operations comprising: initiating a digital lithography process to pattern a substrate (40) in accordance with instructions (para 0042, 0043, the control section 90 would initiate the process); and implementing exposure unit boundary smoothing (para 0053-0060) with respect to at least first exposure unit and the second exposure unit (see modified Fig. 2 below) of a plurality of exposure units and a second exposure unit (see modified Fig. 2 below) during the digital lithography process (Fig. 1, para 0039, 0053) by performing dose mixing about at least one boundary between at least the first scan region and the second scan region, wherein performing the dose mixing comprises having the first exposure unit contribute first percentage of a total dose to a blended region, the second exposure unit contribute a second percentage of the total dose to the blended region, the third exposure unit contribute a third percentage of the total dose to the blended region, and the fourth exposure unit contribute a fourth percentage of the total dose to the blended region, such that a sum of the first percentage, the second percentage, the third percentage, and the fourth percentage equals about 100% (para 0058, 0059 and modified Fig. 2 below. In Line B in Fig. 2, the first exposure unit contributes 0 light emitting section (LES), the second exposure unit contributes 4 LES, the third exposure unit contributes 3 LES and the fourth exposure unit contributes 0 LES for total of 7 LES which is 100%. In Line C, the first exposure unit contributes 0 light emitting section (LES), the second exposure unit contributes 1 LES, the third exposure unit contributes 3 LES and the fourth exposure unit contributes 3 LES for total of 7 LES which is 100%).
Regarding claim 14, Matsumoto discloses a method comprising: initiating, by a processing device (90, para 0042, 0043), a digital lithography process (Fig. 1) to pattern a substrate (40) in accordance with instructions; and implementing, by the processing device, exposure unit boundary smoothing (para 0053-0060) with respect to at least a first exposure unit (see modified Fig. 2 below) of a plurality of exposure units and a second exposure unit (see modified Fig. 2 below) of the plurality of exposure units during the digital lithography process (Fig. 1, 2), the first exposure unit and the second exposure unit being attached to a first bridge (exposure head 100A grouping the first and second exposure units); wherein the first exposure unit corresponds to a first scan region of a plurality of scan regions and the second exposure unit corresponds to a second scan region of the plurality of scan regions, adjacent to the first scan region (Fig. 1, para 0039, 0053, scan regions are on the photosensitive material 40, the first scan region, the second scan region, the third scan region and the fourth scan region each corresponds to different exposure units scan directions, see modified Fig. 2 below); wherein the plurality of exposure units further comprises a third exposure unit (see modified Fig. 2 below) associated with a third scan region and a fourth exposure unit (see modified Fig. 2 below) associated with a fourth scan region, the third exposure unit and the fourth exposure unit being attached to a second bridge (exposure head 100B grouping the third and fourth exposure units) adjacent to the first bridge (modified Fig. 2 below); and wherein implementing the exposure unit boundary smoothing comprises at least one of: performing exposure unit boundary shifting to shift an exposure unit boundary for each pass of an exposure unit as part of a multiple pass process including a plurality of passes; or performing dose mixing about at least one boundary between at least the first scan region and the second scan region, wherein performing the dose mixing comprises having the first exposure unit contribute a first percentage of a total dose to a blended region, the second exposure unit contribute a second percentage of the total dose to the blended region, the third exposure unit contribute a third percentage of the total dose to the blended region, and the fourth exposure unit contribute a fourth percentage of the total dose to the blended region, such that a sum of the first percentage, the second percentage, the third percentage, and the fourth percentage equals about 100% (para 0058, 0059 and modified Fig. 2 below. In Line B in Fig. 2, the first exposure unit contributes 0 light emitting section (LES), the second exposure unit contributes 4 LES, the third exposure unit contributes 3 LES and the fourth exposure unit contributes 0 LES for total of 7 LES which is 100%. In Line C, the first exposure unit contributes 0 light emitting section (LES), the second exposure unit contributes 1 LES, the third exposure unit contributes 3 LES and the fourth exposure unit contributes 3 LES for total of 7 LES which is 100%).
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Regarding claims 16 and 25, claim 14 contains the alternative language "wherein implementing the exposure unit boundary smoothing comprises at least one of: performing exposure unit boundary shifting…or performing dose mixing…” and is rejected by satisfying the second alternative condition "performing dose mixing". Once one alternative condition has been met, the entire alternative limitation can be rejected. Since the second alternative condition is already satisfied, the entire alternative claim limitation is also rejected. As a result, any further claims directed to the first condition similarly stand rejected.
Regarding claims 23 and 24, Matsumoto discloses wherein the digital lithography process is a maskless digital lithography process (Fig. 1, 2, para 0039, “light emitting section of the organic EL elements 20 is focused for radiation on a photosensitive material 40”).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 3, 4 and 22 are allowed.
Regarding claim 1, Matsumoto discloses a digital lithography system (Fig. 1, 2) comprising: a plurality of scan regions comprising a first scan region and a second scan region adjacent to the first scan region (scan regions are on the photosensitive material 40, the first scan region and the second scan region corresponds to different exposure units, para 0039, 0053, see modified Fig. 2 above); a plurality of exposure units (see modified Fig. 2 above) located above the plurality of scan regions (Fig. 1, 2); the plurality of exposure units comprising a first exposure unit associated with the first scan region and a second exposure unit associated with the second scan region (Fig. 1, modified Fig. 2 above, para 0039, 0053); a first bridge, where the first and second exposure units are attached to the bridge (see modified Fig. 2 above); a memory (CPU, ROM, RAM, para 0042, 0043); and at least one processing device (90), operatively coupled to the memory, to perform operations comprising: initiating a digital lithography process to pattern a substrate disposed on a stage in accordance with instructions (para 0042, 0043, the control section 90 would initiate the process); and performing exposure unit boundary smoothing with respect to the first and second exposure units during the digital lithography process (Fig. 2, para 0053-0060, “the maximum exposure amount of each pixel arranged in the main scanning direction is gradually changed in the overlapped exposure areas, an preferable image in which it is difficult to notice a joint”). However, Matsumoto does not disclose performing exposure unit boundary shifting to shift and exposure unit boundary for each pass of an exposure unit in combination with the rest of the limitations.
Claims 3, 4 and 22 depend on claim 1.
Conclusion
Applicant's 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 PETER B KIM whose telephone number is (571)272-2120. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM.
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/PETER B KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2882 March 9, 2026