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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 01/20/2026 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1, 4-8, 10-11, 13-16, and 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pflumm et al (US2013/0207046) (Pflumm) in view of Chen at al (US 2008/0171228) (Chen), Nomura et al (US 2009/0160323) (Nomura), and Hwang et al (US2010/0051924) (Hwang).
In reference to claim 1, 4-5, 8-11 and 13-16, and 18, Pflumm teaches an organic electroluminescent device comprising an anode, two hole injection layers, a hole transport layer, an exciton blocking layer, an emitting layer, an electron transport layer and a cathode that are arranged adjacent to one another as claimed (Pflumm [0093] [0096] [0097]), wherein the exciton blocking layer comprises a compound (70) as shown below (Pflumm [0079]).
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Pflumm further teaches that the emitting layer is directly adjacent to the exciton blocking layer and that it is a phosphorescent emitting layer comprising two or more host materials (Pflumm [0101] [0102]) and an emitter at concentrations from 5 to 20% by weight. Pflumm further exemplifies the electron transport layer to include metal compounds such as LiQ (See table 1).
Pflumm does not expressly teach that one or more of the hole injection layers is a p-doped layer. However, such materials and layers are well known in the art. With respect to the difference, Chen teaches, in analogous art, p-dopants for use in a hole injection layer adjacent to an anode that when employed give improved reliability and performance in the device (Chen [0008]-[0010]; [0036]).
In light of the motivation of using the p-doped hole injection layer as described above, it would therefore have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to use the p-doped hole injection layer as described by Chen in order to improve device reliability and performance and thereby arrive at the claimed invention.
Pflumm does not expressly teach the elected materials as those found in the hole transport layer and the hole injection layers but does state that hole transport materials are known to be triaryl amine derivatives that contain either two triarylamine groups or at least one triarylamine group and at least one carbazole (Pflumm [0003]) and exemplifies materials in the working examples very similar to those instantly elected.
With respect to the difference, Nomura teaches, in analogous art, a material for a hole injection layer of an electroluminescent device including compound (7) as shown below (Nomura [0017]-[0018]) that comprises one triaryl amine group and one carbazole. Nomura further teaches that the compound produces light emitting element having high luminous efficiency and consumes low power and is driven at low voltage (Nomura Abstract).
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In light of the motivation of using a compound of formula (7) as described above, it would therefore have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to use the compound of formula (7) as described by Nomura in order to provide a light emitting element with high efficiency and low power consumption and driving voltage and thereby arrive at the claimed invention.
Furthermore, Hwang teaches, in analogous art, diarylamine compounds for use in a hole transport layer including compound I as shown below (Hwang [0011] [0032]) and further teaches that its use in a device provides a device with high efficiency, low driving voltage, high luminosity and a long lifetime (Hwang [0008] [0139]- [0141]).
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In light of the motivation of using compound I of Hwang as described above, it would therefore have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to use the compound I as described by Hwang in order to provide a device with high efficiency, low driving voltage, high luminosity and a long lifetime and thereby arrive at the claimed invention.
While Pflumm in view of Nomura and Hwang does not name the hole injection layer, hole transport layer and exiton blocking layer using the same nomenclature as those instantly claimed, the recitation of a new name for an identical structural feature does not differentiate it from the prior art.
Furthermore, while Pflumm, Nomura and Hwang does not specifically teach that the materials of the hole transport layer, hole injection layer and the exciton blocking layer comprise materials that meet the claimed requirement with respect to their relative HOMO energy levels, such a property is inherent to the materials. Where the claimed and prior art products are identical or substantially identical in structure or composition, or are produced by identical or substantially identical processes, a prima facie case of either anticipation or obviousness has been established. In re Best, 562 F.2d 1252, 1255, 195 USPQ 430, 433 (CCPA 1977). See MPEP 2112.01 (I). Recitation of a newly disclosed property does not distinguish over a reference disclosure of the article or composition claims. General Electric v. Jewe Incandescent Lamp Co., 67 USPQ 155. Titanium Metal Corp. v. Banner, 227 USPQ 772. Applicant bears responsibility for proving that reference composition does not possess the characteristics recited in the claims. In re Fitzgerald, 205 USPQ 597, 195 USPQ 430.
For Claim 1: the anode reads on the first electrode, cathode on the second electrode, the layers between read on an interlayer, the hole injection layer adjacent to the anode reads on a p-doped hole transport layer of compound 7 with a p-dopant and the other hole injection layer reads on a hole transport layer that is not p-doped and is in contact with the emission auxiliary layer comprising a compound 7 reading on the hole transport compound of formula 201-1, the hole transport layer reads on a first emission auxiliary layer comprising a compound 1 that reads on the first compound of formula 2, and the exciton blocking layer reads on the second emission auxiliary layer.
For Claim 4: Reads on the claimed materials.
For Claim 5: The exciton blocking layer is in direct contact with the emission layer.
For Claim 8: Reads on a layer not comprising a dopant.
For Claim 10: Reads on one of formula 1.
For Claim 11: Compound 70 reads on the second compound that reads on formula 1-1.
For Claim 13: Reads on an electron transport layer.
For Claim 14: Reads on a charge generating material.
For Claim 15: Reads on a host/ dopant layer as claimed.
For Claim 16: Reads on two or more hosts.
For Claim 18: LiQ reads on a metal containing material.
With respect to claims 6-7, Pflumm in view of Chen, Nomura and Hwang teaches the device as described above for claim 1. Pflumm broadly teaches layer thicknesses and device processing as known in the prior art (Pflumm [0141]) and exemplifies hole transport layer and exciton blocking layers in the claimed ranges (see e.g. example I2 of table 1).
Therefore it would have been obvious to the ordinarily skilled artisan to have applied the same layer thicknesses to the various layers as in the examples and as is typical in the prior art at the time.
With respect to claim 19, Pflumm in view of Chen, Nomura and Hwang teaches the device as described above for claim 1. Pflumm further teaches the device is included in an electronic device for various applications (Pflumm [0092]).
It would have been obvious to the ordinarily skilled artisan to have used the device in an application as taught by Pflumm.
Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pflumm et al (US2013/0207046) (Pflumm) in view of Chen at al (US 2008/0171228) (Chen), Nomura et al (US 2009/0160323) (Nomura) and Hwang et al (US2010/0051924) (Hwang) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Liu et al (US 2014/0374697) (Liu).
Regarding Claim 17, Pflumm in view of Chen, Nomura and Hwang teaches the device as described above for claim 1 including an emitter material. Pflumm does not expressly teach that the emitting material includes quantum dots.
With respect to the difference, Liu teaches, in analogous art, devices with quantum dots as emitting materials in the light emitting layer (Liu See abstract, throughout) and teaches that quantum dots have advantages of good stability, high efficiency and long lifespan (Liu [0085]).
In light of the motivation of using quantum dots as emitters as described above, it would therefore have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to use the quantum dots as emitters as described by Liu in order to provide good stability, high efficiency and long lifespan and thereby arrive at the claimed invention.
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pflumm et al (US2013/0207046) (Pflumm) in view of Chen at al (US 2008/0171228) (Chen), Nomura et al (US 2009/0160323) (Nomura) and Hwang et al (US2010/0051924) (Hwang) as applied to claim 19 above, in view of Suh et al (US 2006/0124924) (Suh).
Regarding Claim 20, Pflumm in view of Chen, Nomura and Hwang teaches the device as described above for claim 19 including in display devices. Pflumm fails to specifically mention a thin film transistor that includes a source, a drain, wherein any one of the source and the drain is electrically connected to the organic light-emitting device. Suh teaches thin film transistor (TFT) and an organic electroluminescent display including the same. The organic electroluminescent display includes: a gate electrode; source and drain electrodes that are insulated from the gate electrode; an organic semiconductor layer that is insulated from the gate electrode and electrically connected to the source and the drain electrodes. The TFT is used in a flat panel display (abstract). As both Pflumm in view of Nomura and Hwang and Suh teach organic electronic devices, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to have used the organic light emitting diode of Pflumm in view of Nomura and Hwang in the known application of a display according to a known configuration with respect to the source, drain, gate and active layer which would have included the configuration taught Suh which reads on the instant limitations, absent unexpected results.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 01/20/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that the claims as amended overcome the rejections of record as Pflumm teaches a HIL that comprises HAT-CN which applicant characterizes as a p-dopant. This argument has been fully considered but not found convincing for at least the following reasons. First, a dopant is a material that is added to another material to modify its properties. The layer pointed to by Applicant is a layer comprising only HAT-CN. Therefore, the material does not appear to be a dopant. Furthermore, Pflumm is not limited to examples and the pointed to examples in table 1 do not limit the teachings of Pflumm. Indeed, Pflumm is not relied upon to teach the inclusion of a p-dopant. Chen is relied upon to teach the doping of the hole injection layer adjacent to the anode which gives rise to specific improvements. Applicant also argues that Chen does not teach that the hole transport layer is undoped. However, Chen is not relied upon to teach the composition of the hole transport layer. Similarly, Applicant also argues that Nomura does not teach that the hole transport layer is undoped. However, Nomura makes no mention of doping of a hole injection layer and only exemplifies devices that do not comprise p-doped layers. It is unclear how Nomura is teaching that such layers must include materials not suggested therein.
Accordingly, the rejections of record are maintained.
Conclusion
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/Sean M DeGuire/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1786