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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claim 36 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Seo et al. (US-20190280230-A1 referred as Seo) in view of Kang et al. (US-20200161577-A1 referred as Kang).
Regarding claim 36. Seo discloses a light-emitting device, comprising: a first electrode and a second electrode ([0041], figure 1, the first electrode #16 and the second electrode #11 as illustrated);
a quantum dot light-emitting layer located between the first electrode and the second electrode ([0041], figure 1, the quantum dot light emitting layer #14 is seen in between the first electrode #16 and the second electrode #11); and
a hole transporting doped layer located between the quantum dot light-emitting layer and the second electrode ([0041], figure 1, the hole transporting doped layer #13 is seen between the quantum dot light emitting layer #13 and the second electrode #11); wherein the hole transporting doped layer includes a mixture of at least two hole transporting materials ([0079], figure 1, the hole transporting doped layer #13 includes two hole transport materials), and highest occupied molecular orbital energy levels of the at least two hole transporting materials are different ([0079], figure 1, it is stated that the two hole transporting materials would have a different HOMO (highest occupied molecular orbital) energy levels. One of which has an energy level range of -4.5-5.4 eV and the other has an energy level range of -5.4-7.0 eV); wherein
mobilities of the at least two hole transporting materials are different ([0080], figure 1, the organic material of the hole transporting materials may be chosen as long as it satisfies the properties of the hole transport layer. In one combination thereof, the mobility of poly(N-vinylcarbazole) is known as 3.0 x10-6 cm2 V-1 s-1 (see attached ‘abstract’ of non patent literature to Ambrozevich et al.) and the mobility of WO3. is known as 485 cm2 V-1 s-1 (see attached ‘introduction’ of non patent literature to Wang et al.)); of any two hole transporting materials, a mobility of a hole transporting material of which a highest occupied molecular orbital energy level is low is less than a mobility of a hole transporting material of which a highest occupied molecular orbital energy level is high ([0080], figure 1, in one combination thereof, the mobility of poly(N-vinylcarbazole) is known as 3.0 x10-6 cm2 V-1 s-1 with a HOMO of -5.8eV (see attached ‘results and discussion’ of non patent literature to Chiu et al.) which is less than the known mobility of WO3. with 485 cm2 V-1 s-1 with a HOMO of -5.2eV (see attached ‘results’ of non patent literature to Zhu et al.)); and
the at least two hole transporting materials include a first hole transporting material and a second hole transporting material, and a highest occupied molecular orbital energy level of the first hole transporting material is less than a highest occupied molecular orbital energy level of the second hole transporting material ([0080], figure 1, in one combination thereof, the hole transporting doped layer #13 includes two hole transporting materials. The first hole transporting material is poly(N-vinylcarbazole) with less HOMO energy levels than the second hole transporting material which is WO.sub.3.).
Seo lacks the light-emitting device further comprising:
a first hole transporting layer located between the quantum dot light-emitting layer and the hole transporting doped layer; wherein a highest occupied molecular orbital energy level of the first hole transporting layer is less than or equal to the highest occupied molecular orbital energy level of the first hole transporting material, and is greater than a highest occupied molecular orbital energy level of the quantum dot light-emitting layer; a mobility of the first hole transporting layer is less than or equal to a mobility of the first hole transporting material, and is greater than a mobility of the quantum dot light-emitting layer; or
a second hole transporting layer located between the hole transporting doped layer and the second electrode: wherein a highest occupied molecular orbital energy level of the second hole transporting layer is less than a highest occupied molecular orbital energy level of the second electrode, and is greater than or equal to the highest occupied molecular orbital energy level of the second hole transporting material; a mobility of the second hole transporting layer is less than a mobility of the second electrode, and is greater than or equal to a mobility of the second hole transporting material.
Kang discloses the light-emitting device further comprising:
a first hole transporting layer located between the quantum dot light-emitting layer and the hole transporting doped layer; wherein a highest occupied molecular orbital energy level of the first hole transporting layer is less than or equal to the highest occupied molecular orbital energy level of the first hole transporting material, and is greater than a highest occupied molecular orbital energy level of the quantum dot light-emitting layer; a mobility of the first hole transporting layer is less than or equal to a mobility of the first hole transporting material, and is greater than a mobility of the quantum dot light-emitting layer; or
a second hole transporting layer located between the hole transporting doped layer and the second electrode: wherein a highest occupied molecular orbital energy level of the second hole transporting layer is less than a highest occupied molecular orbital energy level of the second electrode, and is greater than or equal to the highest occupied molecular orbital energy level of the second hole transporting material ([0129], [0075, table 1], figure 6, a second hole transporting layer #322 is seen in between the hole transporting doped layer #324 and the second electrode #160. The second hole transporting layer #322 is made of P-TPD with HOMO energy levels of -5.4eV. The hole transporting doped layer #324 is made of PVK with HOMO energy levels of -5.91. The second electrode is made of ITO ([0054]) with energy levels of -4.9eV (see attached 'fig.9' in page 6 of non patent literature to Hong et al.). Therefore the HOMO energy levels of PVK (-5.91 eV) < P-TPD (-5.4 eV) < ITO (-4.9 eV) are read as per the limitation); a mobility of the second hole transporting layer is less than a mobility of the second electrode, and is greater than or equal to a mobility of the second hole transporting material ([0129], [0075-0076], figure 6, the second hole transporting layer #322 made of P-TPD has a mobility of 2.09x10^-3 cm^2/Vsec (see attached 'key takeaways' of non patent literature to Barra Mario). The hole transporting doped layer #324 made of PVK has mobility of 4.8x10^-9 cm^2/Vsec (see attached 'table 1' of non patent literature to Zhu et al.). The second electrode made of ITO has mobility of 32 cm^2/Vsec (see attached 'fig. 3' of non patent literature to Zhang et al.). Therefore the mobility of PVK (4.8x10^-9 cm^2/Vsec) < P-TPD (2.09x10^-3 cm^2/Vsec) < ITO (32 cm^2/Vsec)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application for Seo to include a second hole transporting layer located between the hole transporting doped layer and the second electrode while meeting the HOMO energy levels and mobilities as taught by Kang in order to provide enhanced structural support, allow for additional hole transportation usage, and to increase the devices versatility. Noting that because of the “or” limitation in the claim, if either limitation is present in the prior art, it reads on the claim as presented.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 3-4, 8-10, 13-15, 18-20, 24, 28, 30-33 are allowed.
In regard to claim 1, the prior art does not teach or render obvious the hole transporting doped layer including a plurality of doped sub-layers that are arranged in a stack; of any two adjacent doped sub-layers, a mass ratio of the first hole transporting material to the second hole transporting material in a doped sub-layer proximate to the quantum dot light-emitting layer is greater than a mass ratio of the first hole transporting material to the second hole transporting material in a doped sub-layer away from the quantum dot light-emitting layer and in the combination as claimed.
Claims 3-4, 8-10, 13-15, 18-20, 24, 28, 30-33 further limit allowable claim 1, therefore, are also allowable.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 01/14/2026 have been fully considered and they are not persuasive as to new claim 36, while claims 1, 3-4, 8-10, 13-15, 18-20, 24, 28, 30-33 have been indicated as allowable. It is noted that Applicant's arguments are related to the amended subject matter, simply stating the new amendments and the newly presented claim are not seen in the prior art. As is seen in the new rejection above, the limitations presented in new claim 36 are disclosed by new prior art, while all other claims are allowable.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure for four documents attached as Non-Patent-Literature teaching in further detail about the features of ITO, P-TPD, and PVK involving its mobility characteristics and HOMO energy levels.
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.
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/JACOB RAUL MARIN/Examiner, Art Unit 2818
/JEFF W NATALINI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2818