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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 11/17/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues that the references do not disclose the new limitations of the claims. This argument is not convincing, see the amended rejections below.
Applicant’s arguments, filed 04/10/2026, with respect to Boudreault et al (US 20180097179 A1) have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection of 12/12/2025 has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments, filed 04/10/2026, with respect to Su et al (US 20180097185 A1) have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection of 12/12/2025 has been withdrawn.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 4-5, 8-9, 11, 13-15, 17-18, 21 and 24-25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a2 as being anticipated by Moon et al (US 20230002427 A1).
Moon discloses OLEDs with a light emitting layer comprising a dopant including:
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[p117] as well as a host that include carbazole groups [0050].
Claim(s) 1-2, 4-5, 11, 13-15, 17, 21, 24-25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Li et al (CN 109796500).
Li discloses OLEDs wherein the light emitting layer includes dopants comprising organometallic complexes including [abstract]:
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[p9].
Claim(s) 1-2, 4-5, 11, 13-15, 17-18, 21 and 24-25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Ji et al (US 20190019963 A1).
Ji discloses OLEDs comprising a light emitting layer comprising
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[p199] as well as other ligands that read on the claimed ligands LB [p133, claim 8] and a host including carbazoles and other claimed host groups [clm 18, p201].
Claim(s) 1-2, 4-5, 11, 13-15, 17-18, 21, 24-25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Dyatkin et al (US 20190140193 A1).
Dyatkin discloses OLEDs comprising a light emitting layer [abstract] comprising
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[claims, p217] as well as ligands that read on the claimed Ligand Lb such as:
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[p165] and host compounds having carbazole groups and other claimed groups [p7, 0072].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6, 16, 22-23 and 26 are 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.
Claim 15, as well, if amended to be dependent from claim 22, would be objected to.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the art is replete with iridium complexes as well as deuteration of these emitter compounds. However, given the specificity of each compound, it would require excessive hindsight to pick-and-choose the elements of each compound from the general disclosure of the closest prior art, Boudreault et al (US 20180097179 A1) and Su et al (US 20180097185 A1) and the references discussed above.
Regarding claim 6 and 26, the closest prior art is represented by the previously discussed references, none of which disclose the substituents of the claims, as well as Xia et al (US 20130299795 A1). Xia discloses ligands with cycloalkyl and deuterated alkyl groups together, but attached at different positions on the ligand, see below. It would require excessive hindsight without motivation to alter the substituent positions of Xia to arrive at the claims.
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Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL M DOLLINGER whose telephone number is (571)270-5464. The examiner can normally be reached 10am-6:30pm M-F.
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MICHAEL M. DOLLINGER
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1766
/MICHAEL M DOLLINGER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1766
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