DETAILED ACTION
This is the first Office Action regarding application number 18/843,339, which is a 371 of PCT/US2023/014043, filed 02/28/2023, and claims priority to provisional 63/316,074, filed 03/03/2022.
This action is in response to the Applicant’s Response received 11/14/2025.
Election of Restricted Inventions
The Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I and Species A1 (claims 1-5) in the reply received on 11/14/2025 is acknowledged.
Status of Claims
Claims 1-18, 20, and 22 are pending.
Claims 19 and 21 are cancelled.
Claims 6-18, 20, and 22 are withdrawn.
Claims 1-5 are examined below.
No claim is allowed.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by BETT (“Semi-Transparent Perovskite Solar Cells with ITO Directly Sputtered on Spiro-OMeTAD for Tandem Applications”).
Regarding claim 1, BETT teaches a solar cell comprising:
a first transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer (ITO);
a perovskite layer (various perovskite materials) in electrical communication with the first transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer; and
an adhesive layer (layer between the ITO and the perovskite materials bonds together the first TCO and the perovskites immediately adjacent and on opposite sides of the layer) between the first transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer and the perovskite layer (Fig. 1).
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Regarding claim 2, BETT teaches the solar cell of claim 1, further comprising a charge transport material between the first transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer and the perovskite layer (the examiner asserts that the layer sandwiched by the TCO and the perovskite layers further comprises a charge transport material called spiro-OMeTAD; the recitations as written do not require separated discrete/distinct layers in the final product).
Regarding claim 3, BETT teaches the solar cell of claim 2, wherein the adhesive layer comprises the charge transport material (the examiner asserts that the layer sandwiched by the TCO and the perovskite layers further comprises a charge transport material called spiro-OMeTAD).
Regarding claim 4, BETT teaches the solar cell of claim 3, wherein the adhesive layer comprises 2,2',7,7'- tetrakis[N,N-di(4-methoxyphenyl)amino]-9,9'-spirobifluorene (spiro-MeOTAD) (Fig. 1; spiro-OMeTAD is recognized as providing adherent bonding when sandwiched by adjacent layers such as TCO and perovskite layers).
Regarding claim 5, BETT teaches the solar cell of claim 4, where the hole transport material is 2,2',7,7'- tetrakis[N,N-di(4-methoxyphenyl)amino]-9,9'-spirobifluorene (spiro-MeOTAD) (Fig. 1; spiro-OMeTAD is a hole transport material).
Conclusion
No claim is allowed.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANGELO TRIVISONNO whose telephone number is (571) 272-5201 or by email at <angelo.trivisonno@uspto.gov>. The examiner can normally be reached on MONDAY-FRIDAY, 9:00a-5:00pm EST. The examiner's supervisor, NIKI BAKHTIARI, can be reached at (571) 272-3433.
/ANGELO TRIVISONNO/
Primary Examiner
Prosecution Insights