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 Claims 1-14 and 18-20 in the reply filed on 11/21/2025 is acknowledged.
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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claims 1-5, 9-13 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mocatta (20190382656).
Regarding claim 1, Mocatta teaches a quantum dot complex comprising:
a quantum dot (par. 245 forming nanosized materials to from QDs) and
a plurality of ligands binding to a surface of the quantum dot (please see below), wherein the plurality of ligands include:
a first ligand (par. 50, 57 and 192 teaches the QDs formed from nanosized clusters have a plurality of first ligands, second ligands and a plurality of third ligands) including a first acid functional group (par. 44 teaches the first ligand and the second ligand are, independently or dependently of each other, selected from one or more members of the group consisting of carboxylic acids, metal carboxylate ligands and phosphonic acids);
a second ligand (par. 50, 57 and 192 teaches the QDs formed from nanosized clusters have a plurality of first ligands, second ligands and a plurality of third ligands) including a second acid functional group different from the first acid functional group (par. 44 teaches the first ligand and the second ligand are, independently or dependently of each other, selected from one or more members of the group consisting of carboxylic acids, metal carboxylate ligands and phosphonic acids); and
a third ligand (par. 50, 57 and 192 teaches the QDs formed from nanosized clusters have a plurality of first ligands, second ligands and a plurality of third ligands) including a thiol group (par. 137 teaches surface ligands including thiols such as hexadecane thiol and hexane thiol), a sum of the first ligand and the second ligand contained in the plurality of ligands is in a range of 40% by weight to 45% by weight, based on a total weight of the plurality of ligands (par. 50, 56-57 and 90 teaches first and second ligand % by weight ranges which encompass this range), a content of the third ligand in the plurality of ligands is in a range of 15% by weight to 20% by weight, based on the total weight of the plurality of ligands (par. 50, 56-57 and 90 teaches third ligand % by weight ranges which encompass this range).
Regarding claim 2, Mocatta teaches a quantum dot complex of claim 1, wherein the plurality of ligands further includes a basic ligand including a non-polar functional group (par. 44).
Regarding claim 3, Mocatta teaches a quantum dot complex of claim 1, wherein each of the first acid functional group, the second acid functional group, and the thiol group binds to the surface of the quantum dot (par. 44 and 71).
Regarding claim 4, Mocatta teaches a quantum dot complex of claim 1, wherein the first ligand includes a first main body linked to the first acid functional group, the second ligand includes a second main body linked to the second acid functional group, and the first main body and the second main body are different from each other (par. 44, 50, 57 and 192).
Regarding claim 5, Mocatta teaches a quantum dot complex of claim 1, wherein the third ligand includes a third main body linked to the thiol group (par. 44, 50, 57 and 192).
Regarding claim 9, Mocatta teaches a quantum dot complex of claim 1, wherein the quantum dot includes a core, and a shell surrounding the core, and each of the plurality of ligands binds to a surface of the shell (par. 111-118).
Regarding claim 10 Mocatta teaches an quantum dot complex of claim 9, wherein the core includes a first semiconductor nanocrystal, the shell includes a second semiconductor nanocrystal different from the first semiconductor nanocrystal, and the first semiconductor nanocrystal and the second semiconductor nanocrystal are each independently a Group II-VI compound, a Group III-VI compound, a Group I-III-VI compound, a Group III-V compound, a Group III-II-V compound, a Group IV-VI compound, a Group IV element, a Group IV compound, or a combination thereof (par. 111-118).
Regarding claim 11, Mocatta teaches a quantum dot complex of claim 9, wherein the core includes InP or AgInGaS (par. 111-118).
Regarding claim 12, Mocatta teaches a quantum dot complex of claim 1, wherein a molecular weight of each of the plurality of ligands is in a range of 200 to 400 (par. 50, 56-57 and 90 teaches third ligand % by weight ranges which encompass this range).
Regarding claim 13, Mocatta teaches an quantum dot complex of claim 1, wherein a content of the first ligand in the plurality of ligands is in a range of 10% by weight to 15% by weight, based on the total weight of the plurality of ligands, and a content of the second ligand in the plurality of ligands is in a range of 25% by weight to 35% by weight, based on the total weight of the plurality of ligands (par. 50, 56-57 and 90 teaches third ligand % by weight ranges which encompass this range).
Regarding claim 18, Mocatta teaches a display device comprising:
a display panel (par. 183 teaches a display); and
a light control layer disposed on the display panel, the light control layer including a plurality of light control areas, wherein at least one of the pluralities of light control areas includes a quantum dot complex (par. 177-179 teaches elements with plurality of light control areas), the quantum dot complex includes:
a quantum dot (par. 245 forming nanosized materials to from QDs) and
a plurality of ligands binding to a surface of the quantum dot, wherein the plurality of ligands include:
a first ligand (par. 50, 57 and 192 teaches the QDs formed from nanosized clusters have a plurality of first ligands, second ligands and a plurality of third ligands) including a first acid functional group (par. 44 teaches the first ligand and the second ligand are, independently or dependently of each other, selected from one or more members of the group consisting of carboxylic acids, metal carboxylate ligands and phosphonic acids);
a second ligand (par. 50, 57 and 192 teaches the QDs formed from nanosized clusters have a plurality of first ligands, second ligands and a plurality of third ligands) including a second acid functional group different from the first acid functional group (par. 44 teaches the first ligand and the second ligand are, independently or dependently of each other, selected from one or more members of the group consisting of carboxylic acids, metal carboxylate ligands and phosphonic acids); and
a third ligand (par. 50, 57 and 192 teaches the QDs formed from nanosized clusters have a plurality of first ligands, second ligands and a plurality of third ligands) including a thiol group (par. 137 teaches surface ligands including thiols such as hexadecane thiol and hexane thiol), a sum of the first ligand and the second ligand contained in the plurality of ligands is in a range of 40% by weight to 45% by weight, based on a total weight of the plurality of ligands (par. 50, 56-57 and 90 teaches first and second ligand % by weight ranges which encompass this range), a content of the third ligand in the plurality of ligands is in a range of 15% by weight to 20% by weight, based on the total weight of the plurality of ligands (par. 50, 56-57 and 90 teaches third ligand % by weight ranges which encompass this range).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 6 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 7 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 8 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 14 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 19 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 20 is objected to due to its dependence on claim 18.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CALEB E HENRY whose telephone number is (571)270-5370. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri.
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/CALEB E HENRY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818