DETAILED ACTION
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 February 4, 2026 has been entered.
The claim amendment dated January 2, 2026 has now been entered. Claim 1 was amended. Claims 1-20 are present. Claims 15-20 are withdrawn as non-elected. Claims 1-14 are under consideration. Previously, applicant elected species A comprising a Formula 1 compound and a Formula E-1 compound without traverse and species of Formula 1 identified as Ar having formula 2-1 and X1 and X2 as NR3.
The objection to claim 14 set forth in the last office action is withdrawn with respect to the current claim listing showing clearly printed structures.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fleetham et al. (US 2021/0066616 A1).
Fleetham et al. teaches Formula I compounds for an OLED device (see abstract):
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More specifically, the formula may be the following (see bottom of page 5, par. 69):
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Y1 and Y2 may be selected as NR (see par. 60) and X3 to X5 (see par. 52) and X9 to X14 may be C (see par. 69). The defined formula meets the requirements of instant Formula 1 of claim 1, instant Formula 2-1 of claim 8, Formula 3-1 or 3-2 of claim 10, and Formula 4-1 or 4-2 of claim 12. With respect to instant Ar of claim 6, a nitrogen-containing group of the above page 5 formula is an aromatic heterocycle and the ring is pentagonal with respect to instant claim 7. Regarding claim 2, compounds of the above formula(s) are used in the emissive region (see abstract and par. 90-93). Regarding claim 3, the compound may be a dopant of the region (see abstract and par. 90-91). Regarding claim 4, a device may be formed with layers emitting blue light (see par. 5). Regarding claim 5, an organic layer may include a delayed fluorescence emitter (see par. 88). Regarding claims 9 and 11, each of RA, RB, and RC in the above formula may be hydrogen (see par. 53). Regarding claim 13, Y1 and Y2 may be selected as NR (see par. 60). Regarding claim 14, when Y1 and Y2 are selected as NR with R as aryl phenyl, a compound of the above formula is the same as at least compound #5 of claim 14 (see par. 52, 38):
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With further respect to instant claim 1 and anthracene-based instant formula E-1, Fleetham et al. teaches host material may be an anthracene and phenyl containing compound (see par. 133-135) and also further teaches at least the following specific diphenyl anthracene compound for an ETL (electron-transporting) layer (see par. 144, page 89):
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Additionally note that a specific dinaphthyl-anthracene is taught by Fleetham at the top of page 37, par. 86, and in instant E-1, R39 and R40 may combine to form a ring. Note that instant subscripts p and q of instant formula E-1 may be an integer 0. Accordingly, the recited “at least one selected from R39 and R40 is deuterium” is met by the above discussed compounds as deuterium is not present when instant p and q are zero.
While Fleetham et al. does not appear to exemplify a device where an anthracene compound and a boron compound of the above formula were both selected in an example device embodiment, given the teachings of the reference, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have selected defined materials of the reference as described above wherein the resultant compounds and layered device would also meet the limitations of the instant claims. One would expect to achieve an operational device within the disclosure of Fleetham et al. with a predictable result and a reasonable expectation of success.
Claims 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fleetham et al. (US 2021/0066616 A1) in view of Joo et al. (US 2020/0172558 A1).
Fleetham et al. teaches Formula I compounds for an OLED device (see abstract):
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More specifically, the formula may be the following (see bottom of page 5, par. 69):
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168
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Y1 and Y2 may be selected as NR (see par. 60) and X3 to X5 (see par. 52) and X9 to X14 may be C (see par. 69). The defined formula meets the requirements of instant Formula 1 of claim 1, instant Formula 2-1 of claim 8, Formula 3-1 or 3-2 of claim 10, and Formula 4-1 or 4-2 of claim 12. With respect to instant Ar of claim 6, a nitrogen-containing group of the above page 5 formula is an aromatic heterocycle and the ring is pentagonal with respect to instant claim 7. Regarding claim 2, compounds of the above formula(s) are used in the emissive region (see abstract and par. 90-93). Regarding claim 3, the compound may be a dopant of the region (see abstract and par. 90-91). Regarding claim 4, a device may be formed with layers emitting blue light (see par. 5). Regarding claim 5, an organic layer may include a delayed fluorescence emitter (see par. 88). Regarding claims 9 and 11, each of RA, RB, and RC in the above formula may be hydrogen (see par. 53). Regarding claim 13, Y1 and Y2 may be selected as NR (see par. 60). Regarding claim 14, when Y1 and Y2 are selected as NR with R as aryl phenyl, a compound of the above formula is the same as at least compound #5 of claim 14 (see par. 52, 38):
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With further respect to instant claim 1 and anthracene-based instant formula E-1, Fleetham et al. teaches host material may be an anthracene and phenyl containing compound (see par. 133-134); however, Fleetham et al. is silent with respect to example anthracene derivatives as host including at least one deuterium per instant claim 1 when instant formula E-1 subscripts p or q are 1 to 5. In analogous art, Joo et al. teaches anthracene derivatives as host material according to formula C to use with polycyclic aromatic compounds containing boron and nitrogen as dopant (see Joo par. 45):
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The Ar9 group may be phenylene C-1 where the R31 to R35 include deuterium (see Joo par. 47, 12):
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In Joo et al. Formula C, L13 may be single bond or arylene and Ar10 may be hydrogen, deuterium, or aryl among other groups (see Joo par. 46). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have selected an anthracene host material taught by Joo et al. as described above as anthracene derivative host material for a device according to Fleetham. One would expect the Joo et al. host material to be similarly useful for the function of host material for a light emitting layer in a Fleetham device. One would expect to achieve an operational device having materials within the disclosures of Fleetham et al. and Joo et al. with a predictable result and a reasonable expectation of success.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed January 2, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
As noted in the above rejection over Fleetham et al. alone that has been maintained, the instant claims continue to provide for p and q as zero in E-1. Accordingly, deuterium on the anthracene derivative is not required to be present. When p or q are more than zero, this provision has been addressed by the above obviousness rejection over Fleetham in view of Joo. An anthracene derivative including a deuterium is known in the art and is at least present in the Joo et al. reference cited in the rejection.
The example devices in the instant specification use anthracene compound E-17 specifically as host material of a light emitting layer. The broader claims are not commensurate in scope with E-17 of the examples. Further, the instant claims do not even require that the anthracene derivative is specifically a host material in a light emitting layer.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Dawn Garrett whose telephone number is (571)272-1523. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Thursday (Eastern Time).
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/DAWN L GARRETT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1786