Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 17/608,495

ELECTRONIC DEVICE

Final Rejection §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
6 (Final)
43%
Grant Probability
Moderate
7-8
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
79%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 43% of resolved cases
43%
Career Allowance Rate
408 granted / 954 resolved
-22.2% vs TC avg
Strong +36% interview lift
Without
With
+35.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 5m
Avg Prosecution
32 currently pending
Career history
994
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.5%
-39.5% vs TC avg
§103
53.7%
+13.7% vs TC avg
§102
12.6%
-27.4% vs TC avg
§112
25.2%
-14.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 954 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 . All outstanding objections and rejections, except for those maintained below, are withdrawn in light of applicant's amendment filed on 8/24/2026. The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior office action. The new grounds of rejection set forth below are necessitated by applicant's amendment filed on 8/24/2026. In particular, the scope of original Claim 42 has been narrowed from that previously recited, i.e. Compound H-6 has been deleted from the claim. Thus, the following action is properly made final. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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 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 11): PNG media_image1.png 206 438 media_image1.png Greyscale , identical to H-5 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 Applicants’ arguments filed 8/24/2026 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 206 438 media_image1.png Greyscale , identical to H-5 recited in the present claims. Conclusion Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action. 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, 8:00AM – 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 8 earlier events
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
Aug 24, 2026
Response Filed
Sep 14, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12723193
ORGANIC ELECTROLUMINESCENT MATERIALS AND DEVICES
3y 1m to grant Granted Sep 01, 2026
Patent 12692436
ORGANIC ELECTROLUMINESCENT MATERIALS AND DEVICES
2y 2m to grant Granted Jul 28, 2026
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
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

7-8
Expected OA Rounds
43%
Grant Probability
79%
With Interview (+35.8%)
3y 5m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 954 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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