Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 17/608,495

ELECTRONIC DEVICE

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Nov 03, 2021
Priority
May 03, 2019 — EU 19172610.8 +1 more
Examiner
KOLLIAS, ALEXANDER C
Art Unit
1786
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Merck Patent GmbH
OA Round
5 (Non-Final)
43%
Grant Probability
Moderate
5-6
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
78%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 43% of resolved cases
43%
Career Allowance Rate
405 granted / 950 resolved
-22.4% vs TC avg
Strong +36% interview lift
Without
With
+35.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 5m
Avg Prosecution
34 currently pending
Career history
993
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
80.3%
+40.3% vs TC avg
§102
5.7%
-34.3% vs TC avg
§112
4.7%
-35.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 950 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
DETAILED ACTION 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 5/21/2026 has been entered. 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 42-45 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by Pflumm et al (US 2012/0326141). Regarding claim 42, Pflumm et al discloses the following compound (Page 8): PNG media_image1.png 198 432 media_image1.png Greyscale , identical to H-6 recited in the present claims. Regarding claim 43, Pflumm et al teaches all the claim limitations as set forth above. Additionally, the reference discloses an organic light emitting device comprising the disclosed compound (Abstract, [0008], and [0071]). Regarding claim 44, Pflumm et al teaches all the claim limitations as set forth above. Additionally, the reference discloses that the compound (disclosed as HTM-1 – [0071]) is present in the hole transport layer of the device ([0008]). Regarding claim 45, Pflumm et al teaches all the claim limitations as set forth above. Additionally, the reference discloses that the compound (disclosed as HTM-1 – [0071]) is present in the hole transport layer of the device ([0008]). In light of the above, it is clear that Pflumm et al anticipates the presently recited claims. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 23-28, 30, 32, and 34-41 are allowable over the “closest” prior art for the reasons set forth below. Pflumm et al discloses an organic light emitting device, i.e. an electronic device, where the hole transport layer comprises a mixture of two (2) hole transporting materials (HTM), i.e. HTM-1 and HTM-2. HTM-1 is a triarylamine compound ([0041]-[0042]) with the formula ([0042] – Formula 1): PNG media_image2.png 118 133 media_image2.png Greyscale , where Ar1, on each occurrence is a monovalent aromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms ([0043]). Such ring systems are exemplified as 9,9’-spirobifluorene ([0063]), i.e. PNG media_image3.png 174 195 media_image3.png Greyscale and benzene ([0064]). Compound HTM-2 corresponds to formulas such as. PNG media_image4.png 120 190 media_image4.png Greyscale , PNG media_image5.png 108 224 media_image5.png Greyscale . However, claim 23 has been amended deleting the groups N(R3)2 and NR3. Thus, the compounds encompassed by the present claims can only have a single amine group, while the HMT-2 compounds disclosed by the reference possess two (2) amine groups. Accordingly, the reference discloses compounds outside the scope of the present claims, and the reference does not disclose or suggest the combination of compounds in the hole transport layer as required by claims 23. Response to Arguments Applicant's arguments filed 5/21/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. In light of the amendments to the claims, the 35 U.S.C. 112 (b) rejections set forth in the previous Office Action are withdrawn. Applicants argue that Pflumm et al does not disclose the compounds as recited in claim 42 as amended. However, as discussed in the rejections set forth above, the reference discloses the following compound: PNG media_image1.png 198 432 media_image1.png Greyscale , identical to H-6 recited in the present claims. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEXANDER C. KOLLIAS whose telephone number is (571)-270-3869. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM EST. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jennifer Boyd can be reached on 571-272-7783. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /ALEXANDER C KOLLIAS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1786
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Show 6 earlier events
May 07, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Oct 29, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102
Jan 28, 2026
Response Filed
Feb 24, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §102
Apr 23, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
May 21, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
May 22, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jun 05, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12624061
ORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING DEVICE AND ELECTRONIC APPARATUS
6y 1m to grant Granted May 12, 2026
Patent 12615957
ORGANIC ELECTROLUMINESCENT MATERIALS AND DEVICES
2y 7m to grant Granted Apr 28, 2026
Patent 12610732
ORGANIC ELECTROLUMINESCENT MATERIALS AND DEVICES
3y 10m to grant Granted Apr 21, 2026
Patent 12559459
AROMATIC HETEROCYCLIC DERIVATIVE, AND ORGANIC ELECTROLUMINESCENT ELEMENT, ILLUMINATION DEVICE, AND DISPLAY DEVICE USING AROMATIC HETEROCYCLIC DERIVATIVE
8y 6m to grant Granted Feb 24, 2026
Patent 12543426
Organic Light Emitting Device and Display Apparatus
4y 7m to grant Granted Feb 03, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

5-6
Expected OA Rounds
43%
Grant Probability
78%
With Interview (+35.7%)
3y 5m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 950 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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