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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 2/11/2023 and 2/11/2025 were filed. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The abstract and title are consistent with the requirements set forth in the MPEP 608.01(b) and 606, respectively.
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.
(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 1-2, 4, 7-9, 14, 16, 18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee et al. US PGPub. 2021/0135139. Regarding claim 1, Lee teaches a light-emitting device (10, fig. 1) [0070] comprising: a first electrode (160, fig. 1) [0070]; an electron transport layer (150, fig. 1) [0071] disposed on the first electrode (160); a light-emitting layer (140, fig. 1) [0070] disposed on the electron transport layer (150); a hole transport layer (130, fig. 1) [0071] disposed on the light-emitting layer (140); and a second electrode (110, fig. 1) [0070] disposed on the hole transport layer (130), wherein the light-emitting layer (140) includes quantum dots (141a and 142a, fig. 1) [0097], and metal thiolate carboxylate (combination of metal halide, carboxylic acid and thiol compound, [0118]) ligands are disposed on surfaces of the quantum dots (141a and 142a) (Lee et al., fig. 1).
Regarding claim 2, Lee teaches the light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein a metal in the metal thiolate carboxylate ligands is at least one of In, Zn, Mg, Ti, Ga, Al, Sn, Cu, and Ag (Lee et al., [0125]).
Regarding claim 4, Lee teaches the light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein a carboxylate in the metal thiolate carboxylate ligands is at least one of a methane acid, an ethanoic acid, a propanoic acid, a butanoic acid, a pentanoic acid, a hexanoic acid, a heptanoic acid, an octanoic acid, a dodecanoic acid, a lauric acid, a hexadecanoic acid, an octadecanoic acid, an oleic acid (fatty acids such as oleate, [0121]), a benzoic acid, a palmitic acid (fatty acids such as palmitate, [0121]), and a stearic acid (fatty acids such as stearate, [0121]) (Lee et al., [0121]).
Regarding claim 7, Lee teaches the light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein the quantum dot (141a and 142a) includes a group III-V nano-semiconductor compound (Lee et al, [0105]).
Regarding claim 8, Lee teaches the light-emitting device of claim 7, wherein the quantum dot includes at least one of GaN, GaP, GaAs, GaSb, AlN, AIP, AlAs, AlSb, InN, InP, InAs, InSb, GaNP, GaNAs, GaNSb, GaPAs, GaPSb, AlNP, AlNAs, AlNSb, AlPAs, AlPSb, InGaP, InAIP, InNP, InNAs, InNSb, InPAs, InPSb, GaAINP, GaAINAs, GaAINSb, GaAlPAs, GaAlPSb, GaInNP, GaInNAs, GaInNSb, GalnPAs, GaInPSb, InAINP, InAINAs, InAINSb, InAlPAs, InAlPSb, and a mixture thereof (Lee et al, [0107]).
Regarding claim 9, Lee teaches the light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein the first electrode (160) is a reflective electrode (Ag, Al, [0079]), and the second electrode (110) is a transflective electrode (indium oxide, zinc oxide etc., [0075]) (Lee et al., [0075] and [0079]). See [0055] of Gong US PGPub. 2021/0066422 as evidence that indium oxide and zinc oxide are a transflective materials.
Regarding claim 14, Lee teaches a display device (not shown, [0201]) comprising: a transistor (TFT, [0209] disposed on a substrate [0202]; and a light-emitting device (10, fig. 1) [0201] electrically connected [0209] to the transistor (TFT), wherein the light-emitting device (10) includes: a first electrode (160, fig. 1) [0070]; an electron transport layer (150, fig. 1) [0071] disposed on the first electrode (160); a light-emitting layer (140, fig. 1) [0070] disposed on the electron transport layer (150); a hole transport layer (130, fig. 1) [0071] disposed on the light-emitting layer (140); and a second electrode (110, fig. 1) [0070] disposed on the hole transport layer (130), wherein the light-emitting layer (140) includes quantum dots (141a and 142a, fig. 1) [0097], and metal thiolate carboxylate (combination of metal halide, carboxylic acid and thiol compound, [0118]) ligands are disposed on surfaces of the quantum dots (141a and 142a) (Lee et al., fig. 1).
Regarding claim 16, Lee teaches the display device of claim 14, wherein a metal in the metal thiolate carboxylate ligands is at least one of In, Zn, Mg, Ti, Ga, Al, Sn, Cu, and Ag (Lee et al., [0125]).
Regarding claim 18, Lee teaches the display device of claim 14, wherein a carboxylate in the metal thiolate carboxylate ligands is at least one of a methane acid, an ethanoic acid, a propanoic acid, a butanoic acid, a pentanoic acid, a hexanoic acid, a heptanoic acid, an octanoic acid, a dodecanoic acid, a lauric acid, a hexadecanoic acid, an octadecanoic acid, an oleic acid (fatty acids such as oleate, [0121]), a benzoic acid, a palmitic acid (fatty acids such as palmitate, [0121]), and a stearic acid (fatty acids such as stearate, [0121]) (Lee et al., [0121]).
Regarding claim 20, Lee teaches the display device of claim 14, wherein the first electrode (160) is a reflective electrode (Ag, Al, [0079]), and the second electrode (110) is a transflective electrode (indium oxide, zinc oxide etc., [0075]) (Lee et al., [0075] and [0079]). See [0055] of Gong US PGPub. 2021/0066422 as evidence that indium oxide and zinc oxide are a transflective materials.
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 3 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. US PGPub. 2021/0135139 as applied to claims 1 and 14 above, and further in view of Chung et al. US PGPub. 2020/0335715. Regarding claims 3 and 17, Lee does not teach the light-emitting device of claim 1 and a display device of claim 14, wherein a thiolate (aliphatic thiolate, [0121]) in the metal thiolate carboxylate ligands is at least one of methane thiol, ethane thiol, propane thiol, butane thiol, pentane thiol, hexane thiol, octane thiol, dodecane thiol, hexadecane thiol, octadecane thiol, and benzyl thiol. However, Chung teaches a light-emitting device (10, fig. 1) [0075] comprising a light-emitting layer (13, fig. 1) [0075] including a quantum dot [0086] with ligands [0095] including a thiolate [0096], wherein the thiolate is at least one of methane thiol, ethane thiol, propane thiol, butane thiol, pentane thiol, hexane thiol, octane thiol, dodecane thiol, hexadecane thiol, octadecane thiol, and benzyl thiol (Chung et al., [0096]). At the time before the effective filing of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to make the simple substitution of the material of the thiolate of Lee with the thiolate of Chung because the thiols taught by Chung are well known in the art and such substitution is art recognized equivalence for the same purpose (as ligands that ensure dispersibility of the quantum dots in mediums (Chung et al., [0100]) and contribute to improving efficiency and luminance (Chung et al., [0102])) to obtain predictable results (see MPEP 2144.06).
Claims 5-6 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. US PGPub. 2021/0135139 as applied to claims 1 and 14 above, and further in view of Wang et al. US PGPub. 2024/0224560. Regarding claims 5 and 19, Lee does not teach the light-emitting device of claim 1 and the display device of claim 14, wherein the electron transport layer includes at least one of ZnO, TiO2, WO3 SnO2, and ZnO, TiO2, WO3, and SnO2 doped with at least one of Mg, Y, Li, Ga, and Al. However, Wang teaches a light-emitting device (fig. 3) [0037] wherein the electron transport layer (50, fig. 3) [0058] includes at least one of ZnO, TiO2, WO3 SnO2, and ZnO, TiO2, WO3, and SnO2 doped with at least one of Mg, Y, Li, Ga, and Al (Wang et al., fig. 3, [0058]). At the time before the effective filing of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to make the simple substitution of the material of the electron transport layer of Lee with the electron transport material of Wang because the ZnO and TiO2 are well known in the art and such substitution is art recognized equivalence for the same purpose (to improve efficiency of carriers (Wang et al., [0094])) to obtain predictable results (see MPEP 2144.06).
Regarding claim 6, Lee in view of Wang teaches the light-emitting device of claim 5, wherein the electron transport layer (50) includes a hydroxyl group (ZnO with hydroxyl groups as surface groups, [0058]) or ethylene glycol (Wang et al., fig. 3, [0058]).
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. US PGPub. 2021/0135139 as applied to claim 14 above, and further in view of Cho et al. US PGPub. 2018/0151817.
Regarding claim 15, Lee does not explicitly teach the display device of claim 14, wherein the transistor (TFT) is electrically connected to the first electrode (160) of the light-emitting device (10). However, Cho teaches a display device (200, fig. 6) [0204] wherein the transistor (130, fig. 6) [0196] is electrically connected (fig. 6), [0200] to the first electrode (160, fig. 6) [0170] of the light-emitting device (100, fig. 6)[0200] (Cho et al., fig. 6). At the time before the effective filing of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the display device of Lee by connecting the first electrode to the transistor as taught by Cho because such connection is well known in the art and such structure is art recognized and suitable for the intended purpose of using the transistor to drive the light-emitting device (Cho et al., [0169]) (see MPEP 2144.07).
Allowable Subject Matter
Park et al. US PGPub. 2019/0081263 teaches a surface treating method of quantum dot comprising substituting ligands but the ligands are not metal thiolate carboxylate and the quantum dots are not introduced to the metal thiolate carboxylate.
Claims 10-13 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: the prior arts of record taken alone or in combination neither anticipates nor renders obvious a surface treatment method of quantum dots comprising “heating the mixture at a temperature of higher than or equal to about 230° C to form a metal thiolate carboxylate; and substituting ligands by introducing quantum dots into the metal thiolate carboxylate” as recited in claim 10. Claims 11-13 are also allowed for further limiting and depending upon allowed claim 10. Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
The following prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Kim et al. US PGPub. 2020/0266373 and Peng et al. US PGPub. 2021/0380878 both teach light emitting devices comprising light emitting layers with quantum dots having ligands but the ligands do not include a metal thiolate carboxylate.
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/NDUKA E OJEH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2892