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
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 08/04/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
Applicants' amendment of the claims, filed on 07/10/2026, in response to the rejection of claims 1-10 from the final office action, mailed on 05/11/2026, by amending claims 1-2, 5, 9 and canceling claim 10, is acknowledged and will be addressed below.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 11-20 remains withdrawn from consideration as pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
(1) The “wherein the first coupling portion protrudes from one side of the first body part facing the second mask and from one side of each of the first tension portions, and wherein the second coupling portion protrudes from one side of the second body part facing the first mask and from one side of each of the second tension portions” of Claim 1 has a new matter.
See the details in the 112 2nd paragraph below.
Claims 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
(1) The “wherein the first coupling portion protrudes from one side of the first body part facing the second mask and from one side of each of the first tension portions, and wherein the second coupling portion protrudes from one side of the second body part facing the first mask and from one side of each of the second tension portions” of Claim 1 is not clear.
First, Claim 1 previously cites “a first coupling portion extending from another side of the first body part”, thus it is not clear what difference is required between the “extending from another side of the first body part” and “protrudes from one side of the first body part”.
Second, the “and from one side of each of the first tension portions” is also not clear. Due to the “each of the first tension portions”, the claim is constructed such that the first coupling portion protrudes from all of the first tension portions disposed all the sides of the first body part, which is not supported by the applicants’ disclosures. Thus, the feature is not clear and further is a new matter.
For the purpose of examination, it will be examined inclusive of:
By changing the position of the amended limitations of Claim 1, under firstly cited each coupling portion, such as:
“a first mask that includes:
a first body part having:
at least one first deposition opening corresponding to the frame opening;
first tension portions protruding from sides of the first body part;
a first coupling portion protruding from a remaining side of the first body part;
the remaining side of the first body part facing the second mask; and
the first coupling portion further protruding from one side of at least one of the first tension portions connected to the remaining side of the first body part; and
a second mask that includes:
a second body part having:
at least one second deposition opening corresponding to the frame opening;
second tension portions protruding from sides of the second body part;
a second coupling portion protruding from a remaining side of the second body part;
the remaining side of the second body part facing the first mask; and
the first coupling portion further protruding from one side of at least one of the first tension portions connected to the remaining side of the second body part,
wherein a bottom surface of the first coupling portion and an upper surface of the second coupling portion contact each other,
wherein a side surface of the first coupling portion contacts a side surface of the second mask adjacent to the second coupling portion, and a side surface of the second coupling portion contacts a side surface of the first mask adjacent to the first coupling portion”.
(2) Claim 9 recites the limitation “in the plan view”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
The limitation will be examined inclusive of “in a plan view”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1-6 and 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US 20190368025, hereafter ‘025) in view of Hirai et al. (JP 2004-091830, hereafter ‘830) OR Wu (US 20140069331, hereafter ‘331).
Regarding to Claim 1, ‘025 teaches:
Mask assembly (title, the claimed “A mask assembly”);
the frame 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a frame opening 120 thereinside (Fig. 4, [0071], the claimed “comprising: a frame extending in a first direction and a second direction intersecting each other, the frame including a frame opening”);
a structural auxiliary mask 200 fixed to a frame 100 (Fig. 3 or 6, [0068], the claimed “and a mask sheet coupled to the frame”);
see the 1st illustration below, which is reproduced from Fig. 5, at therein, the mask 200 of Fig. 5 can be interpreted to have a combined form of the first and second mask portions by coupling the first and second coupling portions, refer to labels for the recited features in the illustrations below (the claimed “the mask sheet including: a first mask that includes: a first body part having: at least one first deposition opening corresponding to the frame opening; first tension portions protruding from sides of the first body part; and a first coupling portion extending from another side of the first body part; and a second mask that includes: a second body part having: at least one second deposition opening corresponding to the frame opening; second tension portions protruding from sides of the second body part; and a second coupling portion extending from another side of the second body part, wherein the first coupling portion protrudes from one side of the first body part facing the second mask and from one side of each ofthe first tension portions, and wherein the second coupling portion protrudes from one side ofthe second body part facing the first mask and from one side ofeach of the second tension portions”);
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Because ‘025 is silent about how the coupling portions of the two masks are combined, ‘025 does not explicitly teach the other limitations (BOLD and ITALIC letter) of:
Claim 1: wherein a bottom surface of the first coupling portion and an upper surface of the second coupling portion contact each other, and wherein a side surface of the first coupling portion contacts a side surface of the second mask adjacent to the second coupling portion, and a side surface of the second coupling portion contacts a side surface of the first mask adjacent to the first coupling portion.
Emphasized again, the deficiency of ‘025 can be cured by any one among ‘830 OR ‘331, not by all references.
‘830 OR ‘331 is analogous art in the field of mask (see abstract of ‘830 or title of ’331 and ‘920).
‘830 teaches As for the edge where the metal mask 1 which it adjoins confronts each other mutually… it forms territory 14a and 14b whose board thickness is thin, it is connected by the fact that it connects when this territory 14a and 14b are laminated in the top and bottom as one unit (Figs. 1a-1b, [0042] of the English translation).
See also the 2nd illustrations below teaching the detailed features, which are reproduced from the applicants’ Fig. 9 and Fig. 1b of ‘830.
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‘331 teaches One side edge of the first sub-mask 101 includes a first structure (such as a first platform 1011 in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2)… One side edge of the second sub-mask 102 includes a second structure (such as a second platform 1021 in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) ([0032]), The first structure and the second structure are stacked together ([0033]), and The first sub-mask 101 and the second sub-mask 102 are disposed in parallel and arranged together. The first surface 1012 of the first sub-mask 101 and the third surface 1022 of the second sub-mask 102 are on the same plane. The second surface 1013 of the first sub-mask 101 and the fourth surface 1023 of the second sub-mask 102 are on the same plane ([0034]).
Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have connected the coupling portions of the two masks in the 1st illustration above, by stacking the coupling portions, as taught by ‘830 or ‘331, for its suitability as known connecting configuration, such as connecting the bottom surface of the first coupling portion to the upper surface of the second coupling portion and further connecting the side surfaces of the coupling portions to side surfaces of the masks, with predictable result. The selection of something based on its known suitability for its intended use has been held to support a prima facie case of obviousness, see MPEP 2144.07.
Regarding to Claim 2,
See the first mask in the 1st illustration above (or Fig. 5 of ‘025) showing the first upper and lower tension portions in the Y direction, and first body part therebetween, the first coupling portion is integrally formed with and extends from the first upper tension portion, first body part, and the first lower tension portion in the X direction (the claimed “wherein the first tension portions include a first upper tension portion and a first lower tension portion spaced apart from each other in the first direction with the first body part disposed therebetween, and the first coupling portion is integrally formed with and extends from the first upper tension portion, the first body part, and the first lower tension portion in the second direction”);
See the second mask in the 1st illustration above (or Fig. 5 of ‘025) showing the second upper and lower tension portions in the Y direction, and second body part therebetween, the second coupling portion is integrally formed with and extends from the second upper tension portion, second body part, and the second lower tension portion in the X direction (the claimed “and the second tension portions include a second upper tension portion and a second lower tension portion spaced apart from each other in the first direction with the second body part disposed therebetween, and the second coupling portion is integrally formed with and extends from the second upper tension portion, the second body part, and the second lower tension portion in the second direction”).
Regarding to Claim 3,
The 1st illustration above (or Fig. 5 of ‘025) shows each width of the upper and lower tension portions and body parts is equal to each coupling portion in each mask (the claimed “wherein a width of the first lower tension portion, the first body part, and the first upper tension portion is equal to a width of the first coupling portion in the first direction, and a width of the second lower tension portion, the second body part, and the second upper tension portion is equal to a width of the second coupling portion in the first direction”).
In case the applicants argue that it does not explicitly teach the same width,
‘025 further teaches The structural auxiliary mask 200 may be configured such that sizes, shapes, widths (breadths), and the like of the plurality of shafts 220 are symmetrical so as to uniformly apply a tensile force to the frame 100 and the plurality of cell unit masks 300 ([0079]).
Therefore, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have configured such that the widths are same, for the purpose of uniformly applying a tensile force to the frame.
Regarding to Claims 4-5,
As discussed in the claim 1 rejection above, the connection of the masks is obtained by contacting the bottom surface of the first coupling portion with the upper surface of the second coupling portion. Therefore, a thickness of each coupling portion is thinner than each thickness of the upper and lower tension portions and body part of each mask, and Further, the total thickness at the connected coupling portions is equal to a thickness of the body part of each mask, see also the 2nd illustration above showing thinner thickness of each structure 14a and 14b, and total thickness of the stacked structures are equal to thickness of the body of each mask 13 (the claimed “wherein a thickness of the first coupling portion is thinner than a thickness of the first lower tension portion, the first body part, and the first upper tension portion, and a thickness of the second coupling portion is thinner than a thickness of the second lower tension portion, the second body part, and the second upper tension portion” of Claim 4, and “wherein a sum of thicknesses of the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion that overlap each other is equal to a thickness of the first body part or a thickness of the second body part” of Claim 5).
Regarding to Claim 6,
The 1st illustration above (or Fig. 5 of ‘025) shows, at the connection of the masks, the coupling portion of each mask has a width, therefore, ‘025 intrinsically teaches all the limitation “wherein a coupling region overlapping the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion which overlap each other, has a width in the first direction”, and merely silent about the number ranges “of about 500 micrometers to about 5 millimeters”.
However, the width is a controllable parameter to determine the durability of the connection, for instance, narrower width connection is weaker than wider width connection, thus the width at the connection is result effective parameter to control the durability of the connection.
Consequently, even if the reference is silent about the number range as recited, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have found a width range, as claimed, for the purpose of providing appropriate durability, and/or since it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art, see MPEP 2144.05.
Regarding to Claim 8,
‘025 teaches these structural auxiliary mask openings 210 have a grid shape ([0078], see each of the first and second masks in the 1st illustration above or Fig. 5 of ‘025, showing a grid having n rows x m columns, herein n and m are natural numbers, the claimed “wherein the at least one first deposition opening and the at least one second deposition opening are provided in each of n rows x m columns, and the at least one first deposition opening and the at least one second deposition opening are disposed apart from each other in the first direction and the second direction, n and m being natural numbers”).
Regarding to Claim 9,
As discussed in the claim 1 rejection above, a coupling region formed by the coupling portions of the two masks in the 1st illustration above extends in the X direction in a plan view (the claimed “wherein the coupling region overlapping the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion extends in the second direction in the plan view”).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘025 and ‘830 (or ‘331), as being applied to Claim 1 rejection above, further in view of Ha et al. (US 20200083451, hereafter ‘451).
Regarding to Claim 7,
‘025 and ‘830 (or ‘331) do not explicitly teach the other limitations (BOLD and ITALIC letter) of:
Claim 7: wherein the frame, the first mask, and the second mask each comprise at least one of invar and stainless steel.
‘451 is analogous art in the field of mask (title). ‘451 teaches the mask stick assembly 300 may be a thin plate. The mask stick assembly 300 may include one of stainless steel, invar, nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), a nickel alloy, and a Ni-Co alloy ([0050]).
Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have formed the mask of ‘250, with one of stainless steel and invar, for its suitability as known stick mask material, with predictable result. The selection of something based on its known suitability for its intended use has been held to support a prima facie case of obviousness, see MPEP 2144.07.
Response to Arguments
Applicants’ arguments filed on 07/10/2026 have been fully considered but they are not convincing in light of the new ground of rejection above. The examiner does not agree with the applicants’ argument that the cited reference ‘250 does not teach the newly added feature of the amended claim 1. However, the feature is clearly taught by ‘250 by simply setting forth a different view of an interpretation of ‘250.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AIDEN Y LEE whose telephone number is (571)270-1440. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 9am-5pm PT.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Gordon Baldwin can be reached on 571-272-5166. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/AIDEN LEE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1718
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