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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 2 is objected to because of the following informalities: the “reductive gas” term is introduced first time in this claim. Therefore, this should not state “the reductive gas”. Appropriate correction is required.
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, 3-6, and 10-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hamilton et al. (US 10,985,336).
As to claim 1, Hamilton discloses a preparation method for QLED device, comprising the following steps:
providing a substrate (Fig. 1(102), col. 5, lines 48-61);
forming a first electrode layer (Fig. 1(104): anode) on the substrate (Fig. 1(102), col. 5, lines 48-61);
forming a quantum dot light-emitting layer (Fig. 1(108): emissive layer contains emissive quantum dots) on the first electrode layer (Fig. 1(104): anode) in a reducing gas atmosphere (col. 5, lines 48-61, col. 3, lines 5-23: in an ambient environment by the oxygen scavengers reducing the amount of oxygen);
forming an electronic functional layer (Fig. 1(110): electron transport layer) on the quantum dot light-emitting layer (Fig. 1(108): emissive layer contains emissive quantum dots, col. 5, lines 48-61); and
forming a second electrode layer (Fig. 1(112): cathode) on the electronic functional layer (Fig. 1(110): electron transport layer, col. 5, lines 48-61).
As to claim 3, Hamilton teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein in the step of forming the quantum dot light-emitting layer, a reductive gas catalyst is used to accelerate the step, wherein the reductive gas catalyst is selected from one or more of Cu, Pt, and Au (col. 3, lines 5-23: use of a suitable oxygen scavenger and blend composition; for example, the addition of Pt containing nanoparticles that will react with oxygen in place of emissive quantum dots).
As to claim 4, Hamilton teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the step of forming an electronic functional layer on a quantum dot light-emitting layer comprises: forming an electronic functional layer on the quantum dot light-emitting layer under an ultraviolet light irradiation (col. 10, lines 50-55: selectively photopattemed using ultraviolet light).
As to claim 5, Hamilton teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein before the step of forming a quantum dot light-emitting layer (Fig. 1(108): emissive layer contains emissive quantum dots) on the first electrode layer (Fig. 1(104): anode) in a reducing gas atmosphere, the method further comprises: forming a hole functional layer (Fig. 1(106): hole transport layer) on the first electrode layer (Fig. 1(104): anode), and the hole functional layer (Fig. 1(106): hole transport layer) is disposed between the first electrode layer and the quantum dot light-emitting layer (Fig. 1(108): emissive layer contains emissive quantum dots).
As to claim 6, Hamilton teaches the method according to claim 5, wherein the step of forming a hole functional layer (Fig. 1(106): hole transport layer) on the first electrode layer (Fig. 1(104): anode) comprises: forming a hole injection layer or a hole transport layer on the first electrode layer (col. 3, lines 41-44: hole injection layer, col. 5, lines 48-61: hole transport layer).
As to claim 10, Hamilton teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein a material of the first electrode layer (Fig. 1(104): anode) is selected from one or more of indium tin oxide, fluorine doped tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, graphene, and carbon nanotubes (col. 6, lines 33-46: indium tin oxide, indium-doped zinc oxide (IZO), fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO), and the like).
As to claim 11, Hamilton teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein a material of the second electrode layer (Fig. 1(112): cathode) is selected from one or more of Al and Ag (col. 6, lines 33-46: aluminum (Al), silver (Ag)).
As to claim 12, Hamilton teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the first electrode layer is an anode layer (Fig. 1(104): anode), and the second electrode layer is a cathode layer (Fig. 1(112): cathode, col. 5, lines 48-61).
As to claim 13, Hamilton teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the electronic functional layer (Fig. 1(110): electron transport layer) comprises an electron transport layer, and a material of the electron transport layer comprises metal oxide (col. 7, lines 14-24).
As to claim 14, Hamilton teaches the method according to claim 13, wherein the metal oxide is selected from one or more of ZnO, SnO2, ITO, Fe2O3, Cr03, TiO2, W03, CdO, CuO, and MoO2 (col. 7, lines 14-24: ZnO and the like).
As to claim 15, Hamilton teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein a material of the quantum dot light-emitting layer (Fig. 1(108): emissive layer contains emissive quantum dots) is selected from one or more of CdS, CdSe, CdTe, CdZnS, CdZnSe, CdSeS, ZnO, ZnS, ZnSe, ZnTe, ZnCdSe, GaAs, GaP, GaSb, HgS, HgSe, HgTe, InAs, InP, InSb, AlAs, AlP, CuInS, and CuInSe (col. 7, lines 31-51: one or more of: InP, CdSe, CdS, CdTe, ZnSe, ZnS, ZnTe, InAs, ZnO, MgO, HgS and the like).
As to claim 16, Hamilton teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein from the step of forming the quantum dot light-emitting layer (Fig. 1(108): emissive layer contains emissive quantum dots) to the step of forming the second electrode layer, the whole process is in a reducing gas atmosphere (col. 5, lines 48-61, col. 3, lines 5-23: in an ambient environment by the oxygen scavengers reducing the amount of oxygen).
As to claim 17, Hamilton teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein after the step of forming a second electrode layer on the electronic functional layer, the method further includes: encapsulating (col. 2, lines 33-36, col. 7, lines 44-53: quantum dots may each include a core, a shell around the core).
As to claim 18, Hamilton teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein from the step of forming the quantum dot light-emitting layer to the step of encapsulating, the whole process is in a reducing gas atmosphere (col. 12, lines 52-62).
As to claim 19, Hamilton teaches a display substrate (Fig. 1(102)), comprising a QLED device prepared by the preparation method for QLED device according to any one of claim 1 (Fig. 1, col. 2, lines 59-62: high resolution display applications; Note: it is well known that any display apparatus includes a display substrate).
As to claim 20, Hamilton teaches a display apparatus comprising a display substrate according to claim 19 (Fig. 1, col. 2, lines 59-62: high resolution display applications; Note: it is well known that any display apparatus includes a display substrate).
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 2 and 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hamilton et al. (US 10,985,336) in view of Chen et al. (US 20200313089).
As to claim 2, Hamilton teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein a reductive gas catalyst is used (col. 3, lines 5-23: use of a suitable oxygen scavenger and blend composition; for example, the addition of Pt containing nanoparticles that will react with oxygen in place of emissive quantum dots).
Hamilton does not explicitly teach the reductive gas is selected from one or more of CO, NO, H2, H2S, ethylene, and acetylene.
Chen teaches the reductive gas is selected from one or more of CO, NO, H2, H2S, ethylene, and acetylene ([0046]: carbon dioxide (CO) or hydrogen (H2) as the reduced (reductive) gas).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Hamilton’s preparation method for QLED device by incorporating Chen’s idea of using carbon dioxide (CO) or hydrogen (H2) as the reduced (reductive) gas in order to improve carrier electron mobility (see Chen: [0046]).
As to claim 7, Hamilton teaches the method according to claim 5, wherein the step of forming a hole functional layer (Fig. 1(106): hole transport layer) on the first electrode layer (Fig. 1(104): anode) comprises: forming a hole injection layer or a hole transport layer on the first electrode layer (col. 3, lines 41-44: hole injection layer, col. 5, lines 48-61: hole transport layer).
Hamilton does not expressly teach forming a hole injection layer and a hole transport layer on the first electrode layer sequentially.
Chen teaches forming a hole injection layer and a hole transport layer on the first electrode layer sequentially (Fig. 4, [0072]: hole injection layer 20, hole transport layer 30).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Hamilton’s preparation method for QLED device by adapting Chen’s idea of forming a hole injection layer and a hole transport layer on the first electrode layer sequentially in order to improve device efficiency, lower operating voltages, and increase device lifetime (see Chen: [0091]).
As to claim 8, Hamilton (as modified by Chen) teach the method according to claim 7, wherein a material of the hole injection layer comprises one or more of PEDOT:PSS, MCC, CuPc, F4-TCNQ, HATCN, a transition metal oxide, and a transition metal chalcogenide (Hamilton: col. 6, lines 54-60: PEDOT:PSS, Chen: [0074]: PEDOT:PSS).
As to claim 9, Hamilton (as modified by Chen) teach the method according to claim 7, wherein a material of the hole transport layer comprises one or more of PVK, Poly-TPD, CBP, TCTA, and TFB (Hamilton: col. 6, lines 54-60: Poly-TPD, Chen: [0074]: Poly-TPD).
Conclusion
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/AFROZA CHOWDHURY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2628