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
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group/Invention I, with corresponding claims 1-10, in the reply filed on 11/21/2025 is acknowledged. Claims 11-20 are canceled from further consideration as being drawn to a nonelected invention.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: MANUFACTURING METHOD FOR PATTERNED QUANTUM DOT FILM LAYER COMPRISING REPLACING NATIVE LIGANDS OF QUANTUM DOT THIN FILM BY REPLACEMENT LIGANDS.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-10 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 1, “the side, facing away from the base substrate, of the mask layer” in lines 4-5, “quantum dot bodies” in line 5, “the side, facing away from the mask layer” in lines 7-8, “the quantum dot bodied” in line 11, and “the mask layer…the mask layer” in lines 13-14 should be changed to “a side, facing away from the base substrate, of the patterned mask layer”, “the quantum dot bodies”, “a side, facing away from the patterned mask layer”, “the quantum dot bodies”, and “the patterned mask layer…the patterned mask layer”, respectively, to correct informality issues.
Regarding claim 2, “the mask layer” in line 2, “ligands” in line 5, “the mask layer” in line 6, “the ligands” in line 7, and “the ligands” in line 9 should be changed to “the patterned mask layer”, “the replacement ligands”, “the patterned mask layer”, “the replacement ligands”, and “the replacement ligands”, respectively.
Regarding claim 3, “the ligands” in line 2, “the mask layer” in line 3, and “the mask layer” in line 4 should be changed to “the replacement ligands”, “the patterned mask layer”, and “the patterned mask layer”, respectively.
Regarding claim 4, “the ligands” in line 2, “the mask layer” in line 3, “the mask layer” in line 4, and “the linking groups” in line 5 should be changed to “the replacement ligands”, “the patterned mask layer”, “the patterned mask layer”, and “the linking group”, respectively.
Regarding claim 5, “the ligands” in line 2, “the mask layer” in line 3, and “the mask layer” in line 5, should be changed to “the replacement ligands”, “the patterned mask layer”, and “the patterned mask layer”, respectively.
Regarding claim 6, “the mask layer” in line 2 and “the mask layer” in lines 5-6 should be changed to “the patterned mask layer” and “the patterned mask layer”, respectively.
Regarding claim 7, “the mask layer” in line 2 and “the mask layer” in line 5 should be changed to “the patterned mask layer” and “the patterned mask layer”, respectively.
Regarding claim 8, “the mask layer” in line 2 and “the mask layer” in line 4 should be changed to “the patterned mask layer” and “the patterned mask layer”, respectively.
Regarding claim 9, “the mask layer” in line 2 and “the mask layer” in line 6 should be changed to “the patterned mask layer” and “the patterned mask layer”, respectively.
Regarding claim 10, “the mask layer” in line 3, “a quantum dot thin film containing quantum dot bodies” in line 4, and “the mask layer” in lines 5-6 should be changed to “the patterned mask layer”, “the quantum dot thin film containing the quantum dot bodies”, and “the patterned mask layer”, respectively.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
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.
Claims 1-10 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.
Regarding claim 1, the limitation “wherein the quantum dot bodied connected to the replacement ligands after replacement are not removed by the cleaning solvent” would render the claim indefinite since it is unclear what Applicant is considering as “after replacement are not removed by the cleaning solvent”. Particularly, if the limitation “after replacement are not removed by the cleaning solvent” is a part of the claimed step of performing cleaning by the cleaning solvent (i.e., “performing cleaning by a cleaning solvent”), what is “replacement” that are not removed by the cleaning solvent? Furthermore, if the quantum dot bodies are already connected to the replacement ligands from the previous claimed step reciting “forming a ligand thin film containing replacement ligands…such that the native ligands are replaced by the replacement ligands”, why the quantum dot bodies are connected to the replacement ligands during the step of performing cleaning by the cleaning solvent? Accordingly, it is unclear to one of ordinary skill in the art to determine the metes and bounds of the claimed invention after considering claim 1 including the limitation discussed above in combination. Claims 2-10, which depend from claim 1, are also rejected by virtue of their dependencies.
Regarding claim 2, the limitation “connecting different terminal coordinating groups of a same ligand comprising the plurality of coordinating terminals to different quantum dot bodies, so that different quantum dot bodies are crosslinked with each other through the ligands comprising the plurality of coordinating terminals” would render the claim indefinite since it is unclear what “a same ligand comprising the plurality of coordinating terminals” is directed to. What is “a same ligand” comprising “different terminal coordinating groups” while “a same ligand” also comprises the same “the plurality of coordinating terminals” previously recited as a part of “the replacement ligands”? Furthermore, claim 2 recites “different quantum dot bodies” twice in lines 11-12 and “the ligands” in line 12. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claims 3-5, which depend from claim 2, are also rejected by virtue of their dependencies.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1 and 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cok (US 2009/0184636 A1) in view of Angioni (US 2020/0259110 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Cok teaches a manufacturing method for a patterned quantum dot film layer, comprising: forming a patterned mask layer (40) on one side of a base substrate (a top side of 10), wherein the patterned mask layer exposes a target region (40 exposing a region including 12A at 40A) in which quantum dot bodies (light-emitting quantum dots of 14A) are to be formed (Figs. 2A-2B and paragraphs 30 and 33-34); forming a quantum dot thin film (14A) on the side, facing away from the base substrate, of the mask layer (14A formed conformally including on a top side of 40), wherein the quantum dot thin film comprises quantum dot bodies (14A comprising the light-emitting quantum dots) (Fig. 2C and paragraph 34); peeling off the mask layer so as to form a pattern part of a quantum dot film layer (14A after removal of 40) (Fig. 2D and paragraph 34).
However, Cok does not explicitly teach that the quantum dot film layer (14A) is formed by replacing native ligands of the quantum dot bodies with replacement ligands and performing cleaning by a cleaning solvent. Angioni teaches a method of forming a quantum dot film layer (an emissive layer 608 formed of quantum dots) (Fig. 6 and paragraph 61), comprising: a ligand exchange method in solid state (e.g., after formation of a quantum dot film) (Fig. 1 and paragraphs 31-34), comprising replacing native ligands of the quantum dot bodies (initial ligands 142 of quantum dots 140) with replacement ligands (a ligand system 150 provided in the solvent and brought into contact with the solid layer and including at least salt ligands 152) by standing for a first duration (the quantum dot film exposed for a predetermined time to a solution containing the ligand system 150) and performing cleaning by a cleaning solvent (washing away with a solvent) for improving defect coverage of quantum dots surface (Fig. 1 and paragraphs 31-44). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine the teaching of Cok with that of Angioni in order to improve defect coverage of quantum dots surface.
Regarding claim 9, Cok in view of Angioni teaches wherein the forming the ligand thin film containing the replacement ligands on the side, facing away from the mask layer, of the quantum dot thin film, and standing for the first duration, such that the native ligands are replaced by the replacement ligands, comprises: forming the ligand thin film containing the replacement ligands on the side, facing away from the mask layer, of the quantum dot thin film, and standing for the first duration under the condition of no ultraviolet light source irradiation, such that the native ligands are replaced by the replacement ligands (Cok, Figs. 2B-2C and Angioni, paragraphs 31-44).
Regarding claim 10, Cok in view of Angioni teaches wherein the forming the quantum dot thin film on the side, facing away from the base substrate, of the mask layer comprises: forming a quantum dot thin film containing quantum dot bodies, and oleic acid ligands connected to the quantum dot bodies on the side, facing away from the base substrate, of the mask layer (Cok, Figs. 2B-2C and Angioni, paragraph 48).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL B WHALEN whose telephone number is (571)270-3418. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 8AM-5PM.
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/DANIEL WHALEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893