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 .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Restriction/Election Requirement
The Office acknowledges the Applicant’s election of Group 1 (first compound includes one or more C8-C60 carbocyclic group) in the Response filed 11/03/25.
The election reads on Claims 1-20.
Claims 1-20 are pending. No claims have been withdrawn from consideration.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-16 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Shin et al. (US 2021/0066617 A1).
Regarding Claims 1-14, 16, and 18-20, Shin et al. discloses an organic electroluminescent (EL) device (light-emitting device) comprising the following layers: first electrode (anode) (110), interlayer (130), and second electrode (cathode) (150) (Fig. 1); the interlayer comprises the following sequence of layers: hole-transporting region, light-emitting layer, and electron-transporting region ([0120]). The hole-transporting region comprises a hole-injecting layer and a hole-transporting layer ([0386]); the electron-transporting layer comprises a bilayer comprising an electron-transporting layer and an electron-injecting layer ([0260]). The electron-injecting layer comprises a mixture of KI and Yb (co-deposited, of any relative weight ratio) ([0296]); the electron-transporting layer comprises at least one “π electron-deficient nitrogen-containing C1-C60 cyclic group” such as the following in further combination with metal-containing materials such as Liq ([0262], [0287]):
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(page 64) (first compound) such that X1-3 = N, a1 = a3 = 0, Ar1 = Ar3 = unsubstituted C6 carbocyclic group (naphthyl), a2 = 1, L2 = unsubstituted C6 carbocyclic group (phenylene), and Ar2 = unsubstituted C9 heterocyclic group (quinolinyl) (electron-transporting group) of Applicant’s Formula I; corresponds to ET-29 as recited in Claim 11. Shin et al. further discloses that the cathode comprises Mg, which can be in combination with a variety of other materials ([0300]); the anode is electrically connected to a source or drain electrode of a thin-film transistor ([0015]). Shin et al. discloses an electronic apparatus comprising the organic EL device, further comprising a color filter ([0312]). There exists capping layers deposited outside of the electrodes ([0302]).
Regarding Claim 15, notice that defining the second electrode (cathode) to encompass the layer (of any arbitrary thickness) comprising Mg and any directly adjacent portion of the electron-injecting layer (of any arbitrary thickness) which does not comprise any Mg would inherently result in the wt% as recited in the claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 17 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The closet prior art is provided by Shin et al. (US 2021/0066617 A1), which discloses an organic electroluminescent (EL) device (light-emitting device) comprising the following layers: first electrode (anode) (110), interlayer (130), and second electrode (cathode) (150) (Fig. 1); the interlayer comprises the following sequence of layers: hole-transporting region, light-emitting layer, and electron-transporting region ([0120]). The hole-transporting region comprises a hole-injecting layer and a hole-transporting layer ([0386]); the electron-transporting layer comprises a bilayer comprising an electron-transporting layer and an electron-injecting layer ([0260]). The electron-injecting layer comprises a mixture of KI and Yb (co-deposited, of any relative weight ratio) ([0296]); the electron-transporting layer comprises at least one “π electron-deficient nitrogen-containing C1-C60 cyclic group” such as the following in further combination with metal-containing materials such as Liq ([0262], [0287]):
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(page 64) (first compound). Shin et al. further discloses that the cathode comprises Mg, which can be in combination with a variety of other materials ([0300]); the anode is electrically connected to a source or drain electrode of a thin-film transistor ([0015]). Shin et al. discloses an electronic apparatus comprising the organic EL device, further comprising a color filter ([0312]). There exists capping layers deposited outside of the electrodes ([0302]). However, it is the position of the Office that neither Shin et al. singly nor in further combination with any other prior art discloses the light-emitting device as recited in the claim, particularly in regards to the nature of the materials comprising the capping layers.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAY L YANG whose telephone number is (571)270-1137. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri, 6am-3pm.
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/JAY YANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1786