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 .
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 1-11,13-16,18-19,23 and 26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Shimizu (20180040783).
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Regarding claim 1, Shimizu teaches a light-emitting and protected nanoparticle which is composed of a light-emitting nanoparticle in the form of a light-emitting core (1; par. 15) optionally totally or partially coated with a layer of first ligands (4) bonded to the surface of said core, said core,
where applicable said layer of first ligands, being coated with at least one oxidation protective layer (4; par. 44-46 and 50),
wherein said nanoparticle further comprises a layer formed of second ligands (2 and 3; par. 17-19) which are grafted to the surface of said oxidation protective layer.
Regarding claim 2, Shimizu teaches a nanoparticle according to claim 1, wherein the core is chosen from quantum dots, metallic nanoparticles, metal oxide nanoparticles, silicon nanoparticles, germanium nanoparticles, nanophosphors, rare earth nanoparticles and carbon dots (par. 15).
Regarding claim 3, Shimizu teaches a nanoparticle according to claim 2, wherein the core is a quantum dot (par. 11).
Regarding claim 4, Shimizu teaches a nanoparticle according to claim 3, wherein the quantum dot comprises at least one semiconductor nanocrystal chosen from CdS, CdSe, CdTe, ZnS, ZnSe, ZnTe, HgS, HgSe, HgTe, CdSeS, CdSeTe, CdSTe, ZnSeS, ZnSeTe, ZnSTe, HgSeS, HgSeTe, HgSTe, GaN, GaP, GaAs, GaSb, AIN, AIP, AIS, AlAs, AlSb, InN, InP, InAs, InSb, InGaN, GaNP, GaNAs, GaPAs, AINP, AINAs, AlPAs, InAIPAs, SbTe, PbSe, GaSe, PbS, PbSe, PbTe, SnS, SnTe and PbSnTe (par. 15).
Regarding claim 5, Shimizu teaches a nanoparticle according to claim 1, wherein the core is totally or partially coated with a layer of first ligands which are bound to the surface of said core and in that said first ligands are compounds of the following chemical formula:
[Chem I]
R-{tilde under (X)}{tilde under (.sub.n)} (I) in which: n may be equal to 1, 2 or 3, X is a group capable of interacting with the light-emitting core through covalent, ionic or Van der Waals type interactions, R is a non-hydrolyzable organic group (par. 44-46 and 50).
Regarding claim 6, Shimizu teaches a nanoparticle according to claim 5, wherein the core is a quantum dot and in that the first ligands which are bound to the surface of said core are chosen from octadecylamine, dodecanthiol, trioctylphosphine, lipoic acid, trioctylphosphine oxide, oyelamine, 9-octadecenoic acid and oleic acid (par. 29).
Regarding claim 7, Shimizu teaches a nanoparticle according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the oxidation protective layer is comprised between 1 nm and 400 nm (par. 18, 35 and 38).
Regarding claim 8, Shimizu teaches a nanoparticle according to claim 1, wherein the oxidation protective layer comprises a plurality of layers superimposed on each other (par. 18, 35 and 38).
Regarding claim 9, Shimizu teaches a nanoparticle according to claim 1, wherein the oxidation protective layer is a layer of metal oxide, of metal nitride or of oxynitride, taken alone or as a mixture thereof (par. 18, 35 and 38).
Regarding claim 10, Shimizu teaches a nanoparticle according to claim 9, wherein the oxidation protective layer comprises at least one metal oxide chosen from Al.sub.2O.sub.3, SiO.sub.2, TiO.sub.2, ZrO.sub.2, ZnO, B.sub.2O.sub.3, Co.sub.2O.sub.3, Cr.sub.2O.sub.3, CuO, Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, Ga.sub.2O.sub.3, HfO.sub.2, In.sub.2O.sub.3, MgO (), Nb.sub.2O.sub.5, NiO, SnO.sub.2, Ta.sub.2O.sub.5 et HfO.sub.2, taken alone or as a mixture thereof (par. 18, 35 and 38).
Regarding claim 11, Shimizu teaches a nanoparticle according to claim 10, wherein the oxidation protective layer comprises the following two layers: a 1st layer with a thickness comprised between 2 nm and 100 nm comprising Al.sub.2O.sub.3, a 2nd so-called “external” layer superimposed on the 1st layer and with thickness comprised between 5 nm and 50 nm, comprising TiO.sub.2, ZrO.sub.2, SiO.sub.2 or ZnO, taken alone or as a mixture thereof (par. 18, 35 and 38).
Regarding claim 13, Shimizu teaches a nanoparticle according to claim 1, wherein the second ligands of the layer formed of second ligands which are grafted to the surface of the oxidation protective layer are silanes of the following chemical formula:
[Chem II]
R.sub.nSiY.sub.4−n (II) in which: n is equal to 1, 2 or 3, Y is a hydrolyzable group, an alkoxy, halide or amine group, R is a non-hydrolyzable organic group (par. 17-19, 44-46 and 50).
Regarding claim 14, Shimizu teaches a nanoparticle according to claim 13, wherein said second ligands are silanes of the following chemical formula (III):
[Chem III]
{tilde under (R)}{tilde under (.sub.n)}{tilde under (S)}{tilde under (i)}(OR′).sub.4−n (III) in which: n is equal to 1, 2 or 3, R is a non-hydrolyzable organic group, R′ is an aliphatic organic group (par. 17-19, 44-46 and 50).
Regarding claim 15, Shimizu teaches a Dispersion of light-emitting and protected nanoparticles according to claim 1 in an organic or inorganic non-aqueous solvent (par. 29, 30 and 36-42).
Regarding claim 16, Shimizu teaches a dispersion according to claim 15, wherein the solvent is chosen from chloroform, toluene, hexane, 2-methoxy-1-methylethyl acetate (abbreviated PGMEA), ethyl acetate, acetonitrile and ethanol (par. 29, 30 and 36-42).
Regarding claim 18, Shimizu teaches a resin composition, wherein it comprises light-emitting and protected nanoparticles according to claim 1 (par. 38, 56).
Regarding claim 19, Shimizu teaches a resin composition according to claim 18, wherein the resin is a photo- or heat-sensitive resin chosen from vinyl ester, epoxy acrylate, polyimide and unsaturated polyester resins (par. 38, 56).
Regarding claim 23, Shimizu teaches a method for manufacturing light-emitting and protected nanoparticles according to claim 1, wherein it comprises at least the following steps: a) light-emitting nanoparticles are provided in the form of light-emitting cores which are optionally totally or partially coated with a layer of first ligands which are bonded to the surface of said cores; b) the cores, where appropriate the layer of first ligands of these cores, are coated with an oxidation protective layer by atomic layer deposition (commonly called “ALD”) so as to obtain nanoparticles whose core is protected, where appropriate whose core totally or partially coated with a layer of first ligands is protected; c) the nanoparticles obtained at the end of step b) are dispersed in a solution of second ligands so that the second ligands are grafted to the surface of the oxidation protective layer by forming a layer of second ligands on the surface of said oxidation protective layer (par. 35).
Regarding claim 26, Shimizu teaches a resin composition according to claim 18 configured as a radiation converter of an optoelectronic device (par. 57-60; please note that LED is a form of radiation conversion).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 12 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 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 21 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 22 is objected to based on its dependency on claim 21.
Claim 24 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 25 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.
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/CALEB E HENRY/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818