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`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
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`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
`www.uspto.gov
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`APPLICATION NO.
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` FILING DATE
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`FIRST NAMED INVENTOR
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`ATTORNEY DOCKET NO.
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`CONFIRMATIONNO.
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`12/714,744
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`03/01/2010
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`Takao SATO
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`501.50424X00
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`7403
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`20457
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`7590
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`08/06/2012
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`ANTONELLI, TERRY, STOUT & KRAUS, LLP
`1300 NORTH SEVENTEENTH STREET
`SUITE 1800
`ARLINGTON,VA 22209-3873
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`NGUYEN, HOAN C
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`2871
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`MAIL DATE
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`08/06/2012
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`PAPER
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`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
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`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
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`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
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`Application No.
`Applicant(s)
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`Office Action Summary
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` 12/714,744 SATO ET AL.
`Examiner
`Art Unit
`HOAN C. NGUYEN
`2871
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`-- The MAILING DATEof this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
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`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLYIS SET TO EXPIRE 3 MONTH(S) OR THIRTY(30) DAYS,
`WHICHEVER IS LONGER, FROM THE MAILING DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available under the provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a).
`In no event, however, may a reply be timely filed
`after SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`If NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`-
`- Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133).
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, evenif timely filed, may reduce any
`earned patent term adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(b).
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`1) Responsive to communication(s)filed on 23 July 2012.
`2a)L] This action is FINAL.
`2b) This action is non-final.
`3)L]
`Anelection was made bythe applicant in responseto a restriction requirementset forth during the interview on
`___; the restriction requirement and election have beenincorporated into this action.
`4)L] Sincethis application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
`closed in accordance with the practice under Ex parte Quayle, 1935 C.D. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
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`Status
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` U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
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`Disposition of Claims
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`5)X] Claim(s) 1-78 is/are pending in the application.
`5a) Of the above claim(s) 6-17 is/are withdrawn from consideration.
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`6)L] Claims)
`is/are allowed.
`7)X] Claim(s) 1-5 and 18 is/are rejected.
`8)L] Claim(s) ___ is/are objected to.
`9)L] Claim(s)___ are subject to restriction and/or election requirement.
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`Application Papers
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`10)L] The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
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`11)L] The drawing(s)filed on
`is/are: a)L_] accepted or b)_] objected to by the Examiner.
`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
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`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121(d).
`12) The oath or declaration is objected to by the Examiner. Note the attached Office Action or form PTO-152.
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`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
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`13)] Acknowledgmentis made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).
`a)XJ All
`b)L] Some * c)L] None of:
`1.X] Certified copiesof the priority documents have been received.
`2.L] Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`3.L] Copiesof the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this National Stage
`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`* See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
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`Attachment(s)
`1) x Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`2) [J Notice of Draftsperson’s Patent Drawing Review (PTO-948)
`3) XX] Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date 03/01/70.
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`4) | Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date. __
`5) L] Noticeof Informal Patent Application
`6) C Other:
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`PTOL-326 (Rev. 03-11)
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`Office Action Summary
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`Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20120731
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`
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`Application/Control Number: 12/714,744
`Art Unit: 2871
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`Page 2
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Election/Restrictions
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`Applicant’s election of Species A (claims 1-5 and 18) in the reply filed on 7/24/2012 is
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`acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the
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`supposederrorsin the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an
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`election without traverse (MPEP § 818.03(a)).
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`Drawings
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`The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show
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`every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the features
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`e
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`e
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`e
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`“an arrangement direction of the panel substrate regions” claim 1
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`“an arrangementdirection of the panel regions” claim 8
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`“arubbing start side”, “a first side”, “each of sides parallel to a rubbing direction”,
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`“a second side”, “each of sides substantially parallel to the rubbing direction,
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`among sidesof the second organic insulating film disposed adjacentto the first
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`side, is defined as a second side” and “the second side is virtually extended in
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`the rubbing direction so as to have a predetermined angle other than 0° and 90°
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`with respect to a direction perpendicular to the rubbing direction, as viewed in a
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`plane,” in claim 1 or 8.
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`must be shownor the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be
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`entered.
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`Application/Control Number: 12/714,744
`Art Unit: 2871
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`Page 3
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`Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in
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`reply to the Office action to avoid abandonmentof the application. Any amended
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`replacement drawing sheet should includeall of the figures appearing on the immediate
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`prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Thefigure or figure
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`number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.”If a drawing figure
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`is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet,
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`and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate
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`changes madeto the brief description of the several views of the drawings for
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`consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering
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`of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an
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`application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New
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`Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner,
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`the applicantwill be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next
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`Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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`The following is a quotation of the second paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112:
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`The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly
`claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
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`Claims 1-5 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph, as being
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`indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which
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`applicant regards asthe invention.
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`Application/Control Number: 12/714,744
`Art Unit: 2871
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`Page 4
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`Claim 1 cites “forming an alignmentfilm by rubbing the resin film formed on the
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`upper surface of the stacked body in each of the panel substrate regions ofthe first
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`multi-piece substrate in a direction substantially parallel to or in a direction substantially
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`perpendicular to an arrangementdirection of the panel substrate regions”. Whatis “an
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`arrangementdirection of the panel substrate regions”? Howis structurally “an
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`arrangementdirection of the panel substrate regions” specified? Is that in the longer
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`side of the panel substrate regions? or in the shorter side of the panel substrate
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`regions?
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`Claim 18 cites “rubbing a resin film formed on an uppersurface of a stacked
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`body in each of panel regions of a first substrate in a direction substantially parallel to or
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`in_a direction substantially perpendicular to an arrangementdirection of the panel
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`regions”. Whatis “an arrangementdirection of the panel regions”? Howis structurally
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`“an arrangement direction of the panel regions” specified? Is that in the longerside of
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`the panel substrate regions? or in the shorter side of the panel substrate regions?
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`Claim 1 or 18 cites “in the case wherea side positioned on a rubbing start side
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`(?), among sides of eachoffirst organic insulating films, is defined as a first side, and
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`each of sides parallel to a rubbing direction, among sides of a second organic insulating
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`film disposed adjacentto the first side, is defined as a second side, a portion ofthe first
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`side that crosses the second side when the second side is virtually extended in the
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`rubbing direction so as to have a predetermined angle other than 0° and 90° with
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`respect to a direction perpendicular to the rubbing direction, as viewedin a plane’.
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`Whatis “a rubbing start side” structurally? Whatis “a first side” structurally?
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`Application/Control Number: 12/714,744
`Art Unit: 2871
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`Page 5
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`Whatis “each of sides parallel to a rubbing direction” structurally? Whatis “a
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`second side” structurally?
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`Whatis “the second side is virtually extended in the rubbing direction so as to
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`have a predetermined angle other than 0° and 90° with respectto a direction
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`perpendicular to the rubbing direction, as viewed in a plane,” structurally? What is
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`“virtually extended in the rubbing direction so as to have a predetermined angle other
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`than Oo and 900 with respect to a direction perpendicular to the rubbing direction”?
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`Claims 2-4 are rejected since they depend on theindefinite claim 1.
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`Until applicants specify the above unclearissues in claims and Drawings, the
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`prior art cannot be found and applied under the present conditions of the claims.
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`Conclusion
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`The prior art madeof record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to
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`applicant's disclosure:
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`Ochi et al. (US 5771085) disclose a liquid crystal display device and
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`manufacturing method thereof for preventing a drop in the pixel slot opening and focus
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`rates due to poor alignment precision of the drive substrate and microlens which face
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`eachother, and for improving the focus rate and production efficiency. A lens group
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`comprised of a plurality of microlenses is integrated into the opposing substrate. A
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`second alignment mark is formed at the desired position within the display area on the
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`Application/Control Number: 12/714,744
`Art Unit: 2871
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`Page 6
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`opposing substrate. This second alignment mark is formed along grooves between
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`numerous protrusions having a semi-circular shaped cross section so the outer
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`contours of the face form a cross shapeof a specific width. These protrusions are made
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`of the same material (for instance transparentplastic) and shape (semi-circular cross
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`section) as those of the microlens at the display area, forming a lens shape. The second
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`alignment mark is made together and simultaneously with the forming of the microlens
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`in such a waythat there is no deviation between the second alignment mark and the
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`microlens oppositeit.
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`Hori et al. disclose an alignment between a mask and a photosensitive substrate
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`is performed usingafirst reference mark formed on the mask and a second reference
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`mark formed on the photosensitive substrate. After that, the mask and the
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`photosensitive substrate are relatively moved, so that an image of one ofalight-
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`shielding pattern andalight-transmitting pattern formed at a position different from the
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`first reference mark on the mask is formed on the second reference mark on the
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`photosensitive substrate. Then, a circuit pattern formed on the maskis transferred onto
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`the photosensitive substrate, and a partial region including the second reference markis
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`exposed with the image of one ofthe light-shielding pattern and the light-transmitting
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`pattern.
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`Lai (US 6765267) discloses a pixel structure comprising a thin film transistor, a
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`pixel electrode, a scanline, a data line and an alignment mark. The alignment markis
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`formed beneath the data line. Misalignment is assessed through the degreeof shifting
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`between the alignment mark and the dataline relative to each other. In addition,
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`Application/Control Number: 12/714,744
`Art Unit: 2871
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`Page 7
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`misalignment is also gauged through the degreeof shifting between the alignment mark
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`and the channellayer within the thin film transistor relative to each other.
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`Anyinquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
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`examiner should be directed to HOAN C. NGUYEN whosetelephone numberis
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`(571)272-2296. The examiner can normally be reached on MONDAY-
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`THURSDAY:8:00AM-4:30PM.
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`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s
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`supervisor, Edward Glick can be reached on (571) 272-2490. The fax phone number
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`for the organization wherethis application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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`/HOAN C NGUYEN/
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871
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`