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
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 4-5, 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by JP2014022221A (IDS, hereinafter referred to as ‘221).
As to claim 1, ‘221 teaches 1. A light-emitting device comprising a first electrode, a second electrode, and an EL layer between the first electrode and the second electrode [see 12, 19 and 16 and 17a in Fig. 5; ¶0024~0029], wherein the EL layer comprises a light-emitting layer and an oxidation-resistant layer over the light-emitting layer [see 16 and 17a in Fig. 5; ¶0024~0029], wherein the EL layer comprises a side surface, wherein the light-emitting device comprises a block layer [see 17b in Fig. 5; ¶0024~0029] in contact with a top surface and the side surface of the EL layer, wherein the second electrode is in contact with the side surface of the EL layer through the block layer, and wherein the block layer comprises a hole-transport material. [see 17b in Fig. 5; ¶0024~0029]
As to claim 4, ‘221 teaches 4. A light-emitting apparatus comprising: the light-emitting device according to claim 1; and a transistor or a substrate. [¶0030]
As to claim 5, ‘221 teaches 5. A light-emitting apparatus comprising: a first light-emitting device; a second light-emitting device; and a partition, wherein the first light-emitting device comprises a first electrode, a second electrode, and a first EL layer between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the first EL layer comprises a first light-emitting layer and a first oxidation- resistant layer over the first light-emitting layer, wherein the second light-emitting device comprises a third electrode, the second electrode, and a second EL layer between the third electrode and the second electrode, wherein the second EL layer comprises a second light-emitting layer and a second oxidation-resistant layer over the first light-emitting layer, wherein a space is provided between the second EL layer and the first EL layer, wherein the space comprises a region overlapping with the partition and the second electrode, and wherein the space prevents electrical continuity between the first EL layer and the second EL layer. [see rejection claim 1 and 100(R), 100(G), 100 (B) in Fig. 5 for example]
As to claim 8, ‘221 teaches 8. The light-emitting apparatus according to claim , wherein the first EL layer comprises a first side surface, wherein the second EL layer comprises a second side surface, wherein the light-emitting apparatus comprises a block layer in contact with top surfaces of the first EL layer and the second EL layer, the first side surface of the first EL layer, and the second side surface of the second EL layer, and wherein the second electrode is in contact with the first side surface of the first EL layer and the second side surface of the second EL layer through the block layer. [see 17b in Fig.5]
As to claim 9, ‘221 teaches 9. An electronic device comprising: the light-emitting apparatus according to claim 5; and a sensor, an operation button, a speaker, or a microphone. [¶0081]
As to claim 10, ‘221 teaches 10. A lighting device comprising: the light-emitting apparatus according to claim 5; and a housing. [¶0038]
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
1. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was made.
2. Claim 2-3, 6-7 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over ‘221 in view of Shitagaki et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2011/0057178, hereinafter referred to as Shitagaki).
As to claim 2, ‘221 may not explicitly teach 2. The light-emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the oxidation-resistant layer comprises any one or a plurality of oxides of metals belonging to Group 4 to Group 8 of the periodic table and an organic compound having an electron-withdrawing group.
Shitagaki teaches this limitation [¶0100 for example]
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to combine the teachings of ‘221 and Shitagaki to “use oxidation-resistant layer" in ‘221 according to Shitagaki, for the further advantage of “utilizing known acceptor material”. […As the acceptor material used for the anti-reducing material, organic compounds such as 7,7,8,8-tetracyano-2,3,5,6-tetrafluoroquinodimethane (abbreviation: F.sub.4-TCNQ) and chloranil, and a transition metal oxide can be given. In addition, oxides of metals belonging to any one of Groups 4 to 8 of the periodic table can also be given. Specifically, vanadium oxide, niobium oxide, tantalum oxide, chromium oxide, molybdenum oxide, tungsten oxide, manganese oxide, and rhenium oxide are preferable because their electron-accepting properties are high. Among these metal oxides, molybdenum oxide is especially preferable since it is stable in the air, its hygroscopic property is low, and it is easily treated…¶0100]
As to claim 3, ‘221 and Shitagaki teaches 3. The light-emitting device according to claim1, wherein the oxidation-resistant layer comprises any one or a plurality of a molybdenum oxide, a vanadium oxide, a niobium oxide, a tantalum oxide, a chromium oxide, a tungsten oxide, a manganese oxide, a rhenium oxide, 7,7,8,8-tetracyano-2,3,5,6- tetrafluoroquinodimethane, 3,6-difluoro-2,5,7,7,8,8-hexacyanoquinodimethane, chloranil, 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexacyano-1,4,5,8,9,12-hexaazatriphenylene, 1,3,4,5,7,8-hexafluorotetracyano- naphthoquinodimethane, and 2-(7-dicyano methylen- 1,3,4,5,6,8,9,1 0-octafluoro-7H-pyren-2- ylidene)malononitrile. [¶0100 Shitagaki]
As to claim 6, ‘‘221 and Shitagaki teaches 6. The light-emitting apparatus according to The light-emitting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first oxidation-resistant layer comprises any one or a plurality of oxides of metals belonging to Group 4 to Group 8 of the periodic table and an organic compound having an electron-withdrawing group. [¶0100 Shitagaki]
As to claim 7, ‘221 and Shitagaki teaches 7. The light-emitting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first oxidation-resistant layer comprises any one or a plurality of a molybdenum oxide, a vanadium oxide, a niobium oxide, a tantalum oxide, a chromium oxide, a tungsten oxide, a manganese oxide, a rhenium oxide, 7,7,8,8-tetracyano-2,3,5,6- tetrafluoroquinodimethane, 3,6-difluoro-2,5,7,7,8,8-hexacyanoquinodimethane, chloranil, 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexacyano-1,4,5,8,9,12-hexaazatriphenylene, 1,3,4,5,7,8-hexafluorotetracyano- naphthoquinodimethane, and 2-(7-dicyano methylen- 1,3,4,5,6,8,9,1 0-octafluoro-7H-pyren-2- ylidene)malononitrile. [¶0100 Shitagaki]
Conclusion
Claims 1-10 are rejected as explained above.
The prior art made of record in the PTO-892 form and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
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/JAEHWAN OH/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2899