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 1-10, 19 and 20 in the reply filed on 3/23/2026 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)(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 1-8, 10, 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Qu (20190177615).
Regarding claim 1, Qu teaches a quantum dot complex comprising:
a quantum dot (par. 55-76 teaches a QD);
a ligand which is bonded on a surface of the quantum dot and includes a hydrophilic group (par. 55-76 teaches a polymer material cross-linked to the outermost layer of the QD); and
a protective layer which is bonded on the surface of the quantum dot and includes an aluminum oxide (par. 55-76 teaches the outermost layer of the QD being Al2O3).
Regarding claim 2, Qu teaches a quantum dot complex of claim 1, wherein the hydrophilic group is a polyethylene glycol group or a (meth)acrylate group (par. 55-76 and par. 195-203).
Regarding claim 3, Qu teaches a quantum dot complex of claim 1, wherein the ligand comprises: a first head part bonded on the surface of the quantum dot; a first linking part linked to the first head part; and a first tail part linked to the first linking part, and at least one of the first linking part and the first tail part includes the hydrophilic group (par. 55-76 and 195-2003).
Regarding claim 4, Qu teaches a quantum dot complex of claim 3, wherein the first head part is a thiol group, a dithioic acid group, a phosphine group, a catechol group, an amine group, or a carboxylic acid group (par. 195-203).
Regarding claim 5, Qu teaches a quantum dot complex of claim 1, wherein the ligand is a monodentate ligand or a bidentate ligand (par. 195-203 teaches fatty acid ligands and fatty acids are widely known monodentate ligands).
Regarding claim 6, Qu teaches a quantum dot complex of claim 1, wherein the ligand is represented by Formula 1-1 or Formula 1-2: ##STR00013## wherein in Formula 1-1 and Formula 1-2, A.sub.1 to A.sub.3 are each independently O, S, or NH, Y.sub.1 and Y.sub.2 are each independently a moiety represented by one of Formula 2-1 to Formula 2-3, and *---- is a position linked on the surface of the quantum dot; ##STR00014## wherein in Formula 2-1 to Formula 2-3, R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are each independently a substituted or unsubstituted oxy group, a substituted or unsubstituted thiol group, a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, or a substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl group having 2 to 20 carbon atoms, R.sub.3 is a hydrogen atom or a substituted or unsubstituted methyl group, n1 to n3 are each independently an integer from 1 to 20, and ##STR00015## is a position linked to Formula 1-1 or Formula 1-2 (par. 195-203).
Regarding claim 7, Qu teaches a quantum dot complex of claim 1, wherein the quantum dot comprises a core, and a shell surrounding the core, and the ligand and the protective layer are each bonded on the surface of the shell (par. 55-76 and par. 195-203).
Regarding claim 8, Qu teaches a quantum dot complex of claim 7, wherein the core comprises first semiconductor nanocrystals, the shell comprises second semiconductor nanocrystals that are different from the first semiconductor nanocrystals, and the first semiconductor nanocrystals and the second semiconductor nanocrystals 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. 162-194).
Regarding claim 10, Qu teaches a quantum dot complex of claim 1, wherein the protective layer surrounds the surface of the quantum dot (par. 55-76 and par. 195-203).
Regarding claim 19, Qu teaches a display device comprising:
a display panel (par. 360); and
a light conversion layer which is disposed on the display panel and comprises a plurality of light control parts (par. 360 and 361),
wherein at least one of the plurality of light control parts comprises a quantum dot complex, and the quantum dot complex comprises:
a quantum dot (par. 55-76 teaches a QD);
a ligand which is bonded on a surface of the quantum dot and includes a hydrophilic group (par. 55-76 teaches a polymer material cross-linked to the outermost layer of the QD); and
a protective layer which is bonded on the surface of the quantum dot and includes an aluminum oxide (par. 55-76 teaches the outermost layer of the QD being Al2O3).
Regarding claim 20, Qu teaches a display device of claim 19, wherein the display panel comprises a light emitting element that generates a first light, and the light conversion layer comprises: a first light control part that transmits the first light; a second light control part that converts the first light to second light; and a third light control part that converts the first light to third light (par. 60, 360).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 9 (please note dependencies) 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.
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.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eva Montalvo can be reached at (571) 270-3829. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/CALEB E HENRY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818
Prosecution Insights